Maya Nagari: Bombay-Mumbai: A City in Stories

by Shanta Gokhale (Editor), Jerry Pinto (Editor)

‘You cannot catch a city in words. You cannot catch a city at all,’ write the editors of this anthology. So how do you get the spirit of India’s great metropolis, the Maya Nagari, the city of dreams, between the covers of a book? Shanta Gokhale and Jerry Pinto decide to bring together their favourite short stories about the city they call home, and hope that a narrative will emerge. And it does—a rich, varied, vibrant portrait of the republic that goes by many names—Bombay, Mumbai, Momoi, Bambai and many others.

In the twenty-one stories of this collection, there is the city that labours in the mills and streets, and the city that sips and nibbles in fivestar lounges; the city of Ganapati and Haji Malang and the Virgin Mary; the city that is a sea of people and speaks at least a dozen languages. There are stories translated from Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and stories written originally in English. Among the writers are legends and new voices—Baburao Bagul, Ismat Chughtai, Pu La Deshpande, Urmila Pawar, Mohan Rakesh, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ambai, Jayant Kaikini, Bhupen Khakhar, Cyrus Mistry, Vilas Sarang, Tejaswini ApteRahm and Anuradha Kumar.

Maya Nagari is a majestic book on a majestic city. It will be read and cherished for years.

420 pages, Hardcover

Published February 5, 2024

About the author

Shanta Gokhale, is an Indian writer, translator, journalist and theatre critic.

Reviews

[Vaibhav Srivastav · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of Short stories through the ages about my favourite city, chosen with meticulous care by two authors who themselves are flag bearers of good fiction about Bombay-Mumbai

[Vishal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely delectable book with engaging stories about Mumbai, translated by Jerry Pinto and Shanta Gokhale, tapping into the soul of Bombay, the emotions, and Mumbai the city, offering a unique tale from a meeting with God to Ganesha, the Lord to stories about love and friendship. The book is compelling with uniquely crafted tales lending a visual image to the compelling city of Mumbai, translated from Marathi, Hindi and even Tamil to English. Delightful read.

[Iris Olwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lotsa good ones in here

[Gopal MS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and nuanced selection of stories across languages and time that paints a unique, lived history of the city. A must read if you love Mumbai/Bombay.