English, August by Upamanyu Chatterjee

‘Agastya's story is convincing, entertaining, moving—and timeless. It merits an accolade that's far harder to earn than "authentic." It’s a classic'

— The New York Times

Agastya Sen is a young Indian civil servant whose imagination is dominated by women, literature and soft drugs.

As the novel opens he has been posted to the small provincial town of Madna.

First published in 1988, English, August, a funny, wryly observed account of Agastya Sen's year in the sticks, is a cult classic.