Lata: A Life in Music Hardcover

An ode to the majestic life of the late Lata Mangeshkar, Lata: A Life in Music celebrates art in its totality and tells the life story of India’s most loved vocal artists. The result of Yatindra Mishra’s decade-long dialogue with the great singer, it also explores the lesser-known aspects of the great artist, introducing the readers to Lata Mangeshkar as an intellectual and cultural exponent and providing a rare glimpse into the person behind the revered enigma.
At the confluence of cinema, music and literature, this is the most definitive biography of the voice of the nation that also documents sociocultural changes from the late British era through post-Independent India right up to the twenty-first century. This is the story of the various myths, mysteries, truths and contradictions which make a human an icon and also make an icon incredibly humane. Review
Yatindra Mishra’s questions are strong and leading. They are just as illuminating as the answers. That is the beauty of the book.Gulzar.A unique book, an absolute treasure.Pandit Vishvamohan Bhatt.The singing voice of the iconic singer has had an unprecedented impact on Indian film music, but the voice that we hear in the book, anecdotes, memories and experiences, is equally moving and inspiring.Shubha Mudgal.A wonderful book!One can feel Yatindra Mishra’s passion as an artist in each page.Sooraj Barjatya.A document of the interesting details of Lata Mangeshkar’s life, the book offers glimpses of Hindi film music.BBC.An interesting document of the musical career of the Lata Mangeshkar. We need more such original documents about our major stars.India Today.
About the Author
About the Author
Yatindra Mishra is the author of four collections of poetry and some well-received books on Indian music, cinema and arts in the Hindi language such as Girija, Devpriya, Sur Ki Baradari, Akhtari and Shahernama Faizabad (ed.).
The original Hindi version of this book, Lata: Sur-Gatha, won the 64th National Film Award and the MAMI Award for Best Writing on Cinema (2016-17).
About the Translator
Ira Pande is a writer, columnist, and an accomplished translator. Over the years, she has translated short stories, novellas, memoirs, autobiographies and literary portraits. She was awarded the Crossword and Sahitya Akademi award for her translation of Manohar Shyam Joshi’s novella T’ta Professor in 2010. She has also translated Shivani’s stories and memoir Amader Shantiniketan, as well as Apradhini: Women without Men, a work on jailed women.