Hindi littérateur Harivansh Rai Bachchan came into prominence in the 1930s through Madhushala, a long lyric poem inspired by the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Some three decades later, Bachchan published the first of four volumes of his autobiography to wide acclaim. In the Afternoon of Time is a creative abridgement of these four volumes, translated into English for the first time. These intensely personal memoirs span several generations, tracing the history of Bachchan s forebears and drawing a portrait of provincial life in the first decades of the twentieth century. With a bittersweet tone that recalls the lyricism of Madhushala, the author describes the struggles, joys and heartbreak of his early years. The author candidly recounts his trauma at the loss of his first companion and speaks of his love for literature permeating every aspect of his life. Writing affectionately about the meteoric rise of Amitabh in the world of Hindi cinema, Bachchan describes himself finally as the father of his famous son. In this brilliant translation, Rupert Snell succeeds in communicating the power and intensity that made the original work a classic.