Book Summary

First published in 1993, The Revised Kama Sutra is not a literal reinterpretation of the ancient text, but a comedic, coming-of-age novel that explores the sexual and cultural frustrations of Vijay Prabhu, a South Indian Catholic boy growing up in post-Independence India. Though titled as a bold commentary on Indias sexual repression, much of the novel focuses on Vijays puberty, Jesuit schooling, and consuming obsession: to sleep with 100 women before turning 30.

Vijay endures Catholic guilt, boarding school suppression, and colonial cultural conditioning. Despite studying Western philosophers and desiring freedom, his dreams collide with family, caste, and nationalism. His sexual failures extend until age 22 when he finally meets a Nepali doctor who helps loosen him. Eventually, he joins the Indian Administrative Service but abandons it all for Americaonly to discover that U.S. sexual liberation is cold, lonely, and far from the dream he imagined.

Often described as “A Confederacy of Dunces meets Catcher in the Rye meets Portnoys Complaint,” the novel combines biting humor, erotic frustration, colonial critique, and self-searching identity. Its voice has been praised by KurtVonnegut as very funny, and critics commend its satirical unpacking of Indian and Western stereotypes alike

About the Author

RichardCrasta, born in Bangalore and raised in Mangalore, is an Indian-American writer whose works span fiction, satire, essays, and memoirs. After serving in the Indian Administrative Service, he migrated to the U.S., studied creative writing at Columbia University, and began a literary career that embraced irreverence and outsider perspective.

Over decades, Crasta became known for his fearless satire on colonial legacy, ethnic identity, and sexual mores. His breakout novel The Revised Kama Sutra was published in ten countries and received international critical acclaimcelebrated for its humor, absurdist voice, and unmasking of cultural taboosHis other works include Impressing the Whites, What We All Need, and The Killing of an Author, continuing his advocacy for literary freedom and truth-telling