From Portuguese to English

In this article, we propose reading family novels in English from Goa, the former Portuguese colony in India (1510–1961), as a sequel to Goan literature in the Portuguese language to show that, rather than dying, Goan literature in the Portuguese language metamorphosed into Goan literature in English. We contend that this new group of authors writing in English resumed the narrative thread that had been left unfinished by the writers in Portuguese when the regime came to an end and English started taking the place of Portuguese. Hence, the family novel in English, whose cast of characters as well as chronotope very much resemble Goan literature in Portuguese, can be read as its continuation, showing, as Mani (2022) would have it, that the boundaries between languages are porous and flexible, and literary forms can become a common platform across communities and historical periods.