The Courtesan, Her Lover, and I
India

The Courtesan, Her Lover, and I

by Tarana Husain Khan

Identity & Belonging Historical Fiction 2025

Summary

In the historic North Indian town of Rampur, two women separated by more than a century discover an unexpected connection through literature, history, and the struggle to have their voices heard. In the nineteenth century, Munni Bai Hijab, a gifted courtesan and poet, captures the heart of the celebrated Urdu poet Dagh Dehlvi. Yet as her lover immortalises her in his verses, her own literary achievements risk being overshadowed by her role as his muse. In contemporary Rampur, Rukmini, an aspiring writer whose family has returned from Dubai after her husband’s business collapses, rediscovers her long-abandoned ambitions. While researching the town’s past at the Rampur Raza Library, she encounters Dagh’s letters and becomes fascinated by Hijab’s forgotten story. As Rukmini uncovers the poet’s life, she begins to recognise parallels with her own struggles as a wife, mother, and woman seeking creative independence. Blending historical fiction, romance, and cultural history, Tarana Husain Khan’s novel explores women’s literary legacies, the complexities of desire, and the power of reclaiming stories that history has overlooked.

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About the author
Tarana Husain Khan
Tarana Husain Khan

Dr Tarana Husain Khan is an Indian writer, food historian, and cultural researcher based in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. Her work explores the intersections of gender, history, food culture, and oral storytelling, with a particular interest in the heritage of the former princely state of Rampur. She has contributed essays and research to publications including Al Jazeera, Scroll, The Wire, Gastronomica, and the Global Food History journal. Khan is the author of The Begum and the Dastan, a historical novel that received the Kalinga Literary Award for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Women Writer’s Award by She The People. Her nonfiction book Degh to Dastarkhwan: Qissas and Recipes from Rampur explores the region’s culinary history through recipes, memories, and cultural traditions. She also co-edited and contributed to Forgotten Foods: Memories and Recipes from Muslim South Asia. Khan worked as a research fellow and consultant at the University of Sheffield on an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project examining culinary memory and local heritage in India. Her historical fiction and nonfiction share a commitment to recovering overlooked voices and preserving cultural histories. Her 2025 novel The Courtesan, Her Lover and I continues this work by exploring the life of a nineteenth-century courtesan-poet and the contemporary writer who seeks to restore her place in history.

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Details
Published
2025
Author
Tarana Husain Khan