Indian Dust

by Rumer Godden, Jon Godden

A poignant collection of short stories centers on India and its many facets, from the fabled India of old to modern India, from the rice fields of Bengal to the streets of Calcutta, exploriong themes of love, faith, and courage

Genres: Short Stories

159 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1989

About the author

Margaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.

Reviews

[Carolien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve short stories set in Indian by Rumer and Jon Godden.

[Amrendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

InWritten by two English sisters, Rumer and Jon Godden in 1966, this collection of short stories and a few poems weave the tapestry of everyday life in Bengal and Kashmir.

The carpet merchant Subhana artfully spins a complex web of charm, enticement and an extended wazwan to make a Persian rug irresistible to a customer. A follower of Aloysius refused an international movie role in an Universal Film Corporation .Sister Malone finds her adamantine faith in God tested when she meets a man quietly and firmly resolved to die. Young Ibrahim of the nomadic Bakarwal tribe, full of fire and sap, finds his courage turning to water when he meets his bride. An irreverent orphan Ali loves and loses, to snowfall, an equally obstinate ram in Ladakh. Gopal winces at non-veg meals his friend eats, Miss Passano gets aggrieved on the plight of her animals in the heat at Howrah but cannot stop herself from beating her maid who accidentally drops a birdcage.

Compassionate, wise and effortlessly told stories of Indian Dust transcend time and space and make this volume a true classic.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed several of Rumer Godden's books over the years, but my only experience of Jon's writing was the two sisters' memoir of their childhood, Two Under the Indian Sun, so I was delighted to find this book. It is a collection of two poems and nine short stories by Rumer and four short stories by Jon.
Jon's stories are stylish and beautiful, but more detached than Rumer's. More of them are about animals than people, although the fourth is the most powerful one and contrasts a woman's compassion for animals with her lack of it for humans, which shows that Jon was not like that herself. I will be looking for more of Jon's writing; Rumer will remain among my favourite authors.

[Anand Ganapathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book blurb says ,this volume is a true classic; A collection of short stories and poems by famous British writer sisters, Rumer and Jon Godden. These stories have been set in India where the Godden sisters spent their childhood and some part of their adult life. The dedication to Goddess Saraswati in the foreward deserves special mention . Speaking Tiger publications is doing a wonderful job publishing brilliant but obscure titles.