At Home in Two Worlds

by Maria Aurora Couto

English 216 pages 1 edition

‘[Maria Couto] was indeed the grand dame of letters and the culture of Goa…[who] lived between three concentric circles of the Indian, the Goan, the Catholic.’—Peter Ronald deSouza, Scroll.in In this collection of posthumously published writings, Maria Aurora Couto, celebrated for her literary prowess and cultural advocacy, offers an unparalleled exploration of Goa. The distinguished memoirist’s lifelong dedication to understanding her homeland’s multifaceted identity shines through in each essay in At Home in Two Worlds . A central theme in these reflections is the author’s upbringing in Konkani, Marathi and Kannada-speaking Dharwad, alongside both Catholic and Hindu communities, before she moved to Delhi, London, and Goa, enabling her to embody insider and outsider perspectives on the place of her birth. She interweaves her extraordinary personal experiences, interwoven with critical discussions on colonialism, Christianity, and the numerous dualities—of language, region, religion—that make Goa unique. Each piece in this collection is an exploration into Goa from diverse viewpoints, including those of visitors like Graham Greene and Umberto Eco, as well as sociologists, historians, poets, and everyday individuals—family, friends, neighbours, and those who have adopted Goa as home.