THE UNISA FLAME SERIES was sparked by the need to create a space in which to publish groundbreaking works of high merit and originality which move beyond the scope of the traditional.

Manuscripts that point to new expressive pathways, new ways of making sense of our reality, and new kinds of interactive explanation are published here. As original, creative and analytical materials, these manuscripts transcend the boundaries of subject field and medium, and are typically hard to package as either academic or popular. The aim of the Series is thus to open up a space at Unisa Press for new forms of expression which defy classical academic categories of publishing.

Within this paradigm of unlocking the future, which draws on Africa's scrambled periodization in which premodernity, modernity and postmodernity cohabit, the Series draws in works that are cutting-edge and which cater for a new generation of digital natives as well as for an existing print-based readership. As a flagship series, the Unisa Flame Series publishes select prestigious works in any of a range of suitable mediums.

Works in this Series are of a multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary nature, and come from within a range of academic and professional/ practitioner disciplines.

This fourth book within the Series, Looking for Lakshmi, maps a journey of yearning and self-discovery, following a trail of clues to uncover the true identity of Rajan Soni's paternal grandmother, Bibiji. In this process, the author also discovers himself, in an eclectic narrative shaped along the emergent theme of life writing.

This is a highly personal journey, created by eloquently fusing the traditional formats of the memoir and the historical narrative. Tapping into lived experiences, Soni refines his descriptions with accurate, yet lyrical details. Stylistically, this is a complex debut, further enriched with reference to Hindu mythology. Such references are woven into the narrative with accuracy and poise – drawing inspiration from the Ramayana, the Bhagavad Gita, Kabir poetry and from Indological literature generally.

Structured in a complex set of shifting timeframes as the author's memory leaps into different timeframes, the narrative nevertheless establishes a strong central line by integrating the various stories into specific historic landscapes.