Desilicious: Sexy. Subversive. South Asian.
Published in 2003 (Arsenal Pulp), Desilicious: Sexy. Subversive. South Asian. is a collection of contemporary erotic writing by South Asian writers–typically young adults. The collection challenges polarized stereotypes of South Asian peoples as either hypersexual inheritors of the Kama Sutra or repressed victims of arranged marriages. The collection explores a range of culturally-mediated engagements with sexuality, including entanglements with the many arms of racism and patriarchy. The title of the collection is inspired by the word “desi”– a colloquial term for people of South Asian that polite non-Desi people should avoid loosely using — and Destiny Child’s ever-moving melody “Bootylicious.” The editors of this collection have been delighted that this work has not-uncommonly been included in LGBTQ+ book lists. Co-editors at The Masala Trois Collective were Zenia Wadhwani and Deborah Barretto.
Year of Publication: 2003Gurbir Singh Jolly