Out of India is the thoroughly revised and extended version of a doctoral dissertation I had the privilege to see at a comparatively early stage. For several reasons, some of them personal, it gave me much satisfaction to be invited by the Oriental Institute of Warsaw University to participate, be it ever so marginally, in the promotion of an academic effort which has resulted in the present publication. Dr. Stasik’s study is based on twenty-two Hindi sources (novels, short stories, a poem), in which she subjects to a close sociological reading, without, however, losing sight of the fact that they are meant to be read, first of all, as literary works of art. Her approach is supported by a solid theoretical foundation. What gives Out of India, to my mind, its special significance in a situation where Indian culture seems to be wavering between traditionalism and what is conveniently called ‘globalization’ (as it the two could not, and should not, coexist), is the ample proof it provides of the fact that the literary topos of Indians abroad, along with the ensuing encounters (and clashes) of culture, is not a prerogative of Indo-English writing but can be taken up, with even greater conviction and authenticity, by literatures in Indian Languages as well. Lothar Lutze New Delhi, January 1994. About the Author Danuta Stasik graduated with distinction with masters degree from the Oriental Institute, The University of Warsaw. In 199, she got her Ph.D. degree from Warsaw University on ‘The Image of Culture Contact in Contemporary Hindi Literature: An Indian Immigrant in England, The United States and Canada’. She also teaches Hindi language and literature at the Oriental Institute. Presently, she is working on her new project on Ram-Katha as a theme in Hindi literature and also preparing for publication a manual of Hindi language.