Heat and Dust

Heat and Dust (1975) is a novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala which won the Booker Prize in 1975.

Plot summary
The events of the story take place in India, during the periods of the British Raj in the 1920s and the present day of the novel (the 1970s). A young English woman, Anne, searches for the truth about Olivia (1920s), the first wife of her grandfather.

Anne discovers that Olivia was a woman smothered by the social restrictions placed upon her by British society. She falls in love with a Nawab and becomes pregnant with his child. Her decision to abort the baby results in a scandal. In discovering the truth about these events, Anne also comes to understand herself better and develops an interest in India.


Awards
1975: Heat and Dust Wins Booker Prize

Film
Heat and Dust (film) (1983) is a Merchant Ivory Productions award winning film, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based upon her novel. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant.