Contemporary Indian Short Stories

by Sahitya Akademi

Genres: Short Stories

141 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Ritika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good collection of regional short stories translated in English. I have often found myself complaining about the limited range of Indian writing in English, which often appear to be less about the people and more about our socio-economic saga. I would not go ahead and call them poverty porn, but Indian writing in English has always been especially disappointing. These stories are quintessentially Indian. They span many states, languages, economic classes, religions and castes. But they also are simply wonderful, and sometimes, it feels good to see your own literature just be good stories.

Removing one star because really, only one story by a female writer? I understand this was compiled in 1959, but we had such brilliant female writers even then. I would still like to pick up the volumes which follow, and I hope they represent every diversity in the country- including gender.

[Nupur Jindal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were lovely, the others not so much; perhaps it was the translation's lack of contemporaneousness or my lack of the context of the time, place and of the socio-culturally ridden language. Either way, they most definitely need another, more contextualised translation/adaptation, call it what you may.

[Mahender Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of short stories from various Indian languages.

[Arsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[al · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my favourite books of all times. in typical desi fashion it was passed down to me from my grandfather— where he got it from was probably the store, but you didn't hear this from me— and i’ve read and reread this multiple times. a collection of short stories from the different states and languages of india, each one distinct in their style even after the translation to english. the first time i read this a couple years ago, i was so moved by the stories [they are all rather melancholic] and had them running in my mind for days. the only reason i’m not giving it five stars is because the story from my native tongue— the nose-jewel, aka a thankfully short piece that still haunts my dreams in a not good way— was terrible. but overall an excellent collection. notable pieces include: the curds-seller, tiny’s granny, manu & a moment of eternity.

[Pankaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selective stories from all over India giving a delightful feeling and will set you back to the roots...