Shobha De was born on 7th of January, 1948 in a conservative Brahmin family of Mumbai, Maharashtra. This renowned author was born as Shobha Rajadhyaksha. She completed her graduation with Psychology honours from St. Xavier`s College, Mumbai. Presently she is staying with her second husband Dilip De and with six children in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. This eminent novelist and columnist of India has penned down several popular novels. She belongs to that group of contemporary writers of English literature who support feminism and equality between a man and a woman. Gautam Rajadhyaksha, the leading fashion photographer of India is her cousin.
Shobha De started her career as a model. And after establishing her name in the fashion industry, she moved to journalism. During her journalism career, she founded and edited three popular magazines titled `Stardust`, `Celebrity` and `Society`. During the 1980`s Shobha De used to write for the Sunday section of `Times of India`. In that section, she explored the high-profile lifestyles of the celebrities of Mumbai. She is working as a freelance columnist for various magazines like `The Week` and newspapers. Moreover, she is also involved in writing the scripts for several TV soaps and serials, for instance `Swabhimaan`. Her first novel was "Socialite Evenings" and her very first venture was a best seller. She has also written some more novels like "Starry Nights", "Sisters", "Second Thoughts" and many more.
Shobha De is known for her bold and frank style of writing. Feminism, its various aspects and gender equality of the society are the main themes of writing of Shobha De. She mainly deals with issues concerning the modern society. She also focuses on the different facets of the urban Indian society. She attempts to project the large society as a whole through her characters. Like for instance, in her novel "Socialite Evenings", she explored the lives of the bored housewives and their loveless life of rich industrialist families. This book was critically acclaimed and it is still considered as a masterpiece. In her novel "Starry Nights", this prominent novelist portrays the love story of two popular celluloid stars. It is the story of high class people and it wonderfully depicts the dark side of the Hindi film industry. Shobha De illustrates the different characters of her books in a very beautiful and interesting way. She wonderfully presents a picture of a fragmentary world to her readers. The women characters of her novel are shown madly in love with the male characters. Love, jealousy and manipulation are the prominent themes of Shobha De`s books. For her writing style and indifferent themes, Shobha De is labelled as a `feminist writer` of Indian English literature.
In her novels, Shobha De speaks her mind. Her novels are hugely popular and are critically appreciated.
Some of the notable novels of Shobha De are as follows-
• Socialite Evenings
•Starry Nights
•Sisters
• Uncertain Liaisons
• Sultry Days
• Shooting from the hip
• Small betrayals
• Second Thoughts
• Selective Memory
• Surviving Men
• Speedpost
• Spouse: The truth about marriage
• Snapshots
Shobha De never hesitates in boldly presenting her views and opinions. She writes for the masses and expresses her dissatisfaction concerning the behaviours of today`s present day generation very clearly. According to this writer, women authors of the past were sidelined and completely ignored and their opinions were restricted within the boundaries created by the men. She is a complete feminist writer and projects the minor status of the women in the Indian societies. Through her writing, she spreads the message of revolting back for the rights of the women. Shobha De is popular for her unique style of writing.
