Source :
Times of India
Munshi
Premchand‘s short stories are being published in English by publisher Penguin and the world will benefit a little more from the bard’s evergreen prose.
Munshi Premchand, widely lauded as the greatest Hindi fiction writer of the twentieth century, wrote close to three hundred short stories over the course of a prolific career spanning three decades.
Premchand’s range and diversity were limitless as he tackled themes of romance and satire, gender politics and social inequality, with unmatched skill and compassion. Many of his stories powerfully invoke the countryside—its pastoral simplicity as well as its harsh realities—while others capture the hopes and anxieties that accompany life in a teeming city where the underdog and the exploiter are caught in an age-old conflict. By turns poignant, acerbic, comical and tragic, these tales offer a glimpse into the lives of people caught between a traditional past and the advent of modernity.
For the first time ever, Penguin Classics brings together Premchand’s entire short-fiction oeuvre for the delight of the English-speaking world. Along with M.
Asaduddin‘s illuminating introduction, this path-breaking anthology, published in 4 volumes, features several stories not hitherto available either in Hindi or Urdu. Also included are comprehensive notes that provide the publishing history of each story—highlighting the differences, sometimes significant and radical, between the Hindi and the Urdu versions of the same story—as well as a definitive chronology, making this a truly singular collection.
The collection, brought out by Penguin Classics will be available on shelves December onwards.