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The Temple and The Mosque
Premchand's fiction has been translated before, but seldom did these translations reveal the many facets of his literary genius, nor did they show the wide variety of 'types' he was capable of portraying. For, Premchand wrote not only about villains and martyrs, poverty, rigid social order or caste disparities. His world, seemingly black and white though it is, is also lit by flashes of wit and humour, gentle irony and a persistent social commentary. While Premchand's favourite characters - bhang-drinking pandits, miserable sweepers and arrogant Thakurs - do eature in this collection, this is perhaps the first time that the English reader will be introduced to his 'other' world - a world of unbelievably good men, lovesick young girls, and a penniless braggart's self-delusion.
- GenresFiction
197 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2011
About the author
Munshi Premchand
1,052 books1,207 followersMunshi Premchand (Hindi: मुंशी प्रेमचंद) was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent,and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindustani writers of the early twentieth century.
Born Dhanpat Rai, he began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand", while he is also known as "Munshi Premchand", Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by some Hindi writers. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi.
Premchand is considered the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism. His novels describe the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class. His works depict a rationalistic outlook, which views religious values as something that allows the powerful hypocrites to exploit the weak. He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues and often wrote about topics related to corruption, child widowhood, prostitution, feudal system, poverty, colonialism and on the India's freedom movement.
Several of his early works, such as A Little Trick and A Moral Victory, satirised the Indians who cooperated with the British colonial government.
In the 1920s, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and the accompanying struggle for social reform. During this period, his works dealt with the social issues such as poverty, zamindari exploitation (Premashram, 1922), dowry system (Nirmala, 1925), educational reform and political oppression (Karmabhumi, 1931).
In his last days, he focused on village life as a stage for complex drama, as seen in his most famous work Godan as well as the short-story collection Kafan (1936).Premchand believed that social realism was the way for Hindi literature, as opposed to the "feminine quality", tenderness and emotion of the contemporary Bengali literature.
Born Dhanpat Rai, he began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand", while he is also known as "Munshi Premchand", Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by some Hindi writers. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi.
Premchand is considered the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism. His novels describe the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class. His works depict a rationalistic outlook, which views religious values as something that allows the powerful hypocrites to exploit the weak. He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues and often wrote about topics related to corruption, child widowhood, prostitution, feudal system, poverty, colonialism and on the India's freedom movement.
Several of his early works, such as A Little Trick and A Moral Victory, satirised the Indians who cooperated with the British colonial government.
In the 1920s, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and the accompanying struggle for social reform. During this period, his works dealt with the social issues such as poverty, zamindari exploitation (Premashram, 1922), dowry system (Nirmala, 1925), educational reform and political oppression (Karmabhumi, 1931).
In his last days, he focused on village life as a stage for complex drama, as seen in his most famous work Godan as well as the short-story collection Kafan (1936).Premchand believed that social realism was the way for Hindi literature, as opposed to the "feminine quality", tenderness and emotion of the contemporary Bengali literature.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 17, 2021
Very nice stories. The book will touch core of your heart.
May 3, 2026
I genuinely feel that Indian classics are often underrated, especially when compared to classics from other parts of the world.
To start with while reading this book, I found myself questioning whether we are truly evolving as a society or quietly slipping backward. The book presents short stories rooted in our own land, exploring themes of untouchability, zamindari system, poverty, casteism, sexism, and religious discrimination. Some of the ideas these stories touch upon may feel distant to us today(thanks to the sacrifices of those before us who fought for our rights) Yet, many of these issues still persist in our society.
Can you believe it? Even in the 21st century, these stories continue to feel relevant. Perhaps the intensity has lessened over time, but the problems have not disappeared entirely. Should we feel proud of this? Absolutely not. If such issues continue to exist even after a century, then perhaps we are only deceiving ourselves with the hope of progress.
I absolutely love Munshi's narrative and as always Rakhshanda Jalil's phenomenal translation does justice to the original urdu version, and that's exactly why I always love to read Urdu books that have been translated by her. To all Indian classic lovers, this book is for you.
To start with while reading this book, I found myself questioning whether we are truly evolving as a society or quietly slipping backward. The book presents short stories rooted in our own land, exploring themes of untouchability, zamindari system, poverty, casteism, sexism, and religious discrimination. Some of the ideas these stories touch upon may feel distant to us today(thanks to the sacrifices of those before us who fought for our rights) Yet, many of these issues still persist in our society.
Can you believe it? Even in the 21st century, these stories continue to feel relevant. Perhaps the intensity has lessened over time, but the problems have not disappeared entirely. Should we feel proud of this? Absolutely not. If such issues continue to exist even after a century, then perhaps we are only deceiving ourselves with the hope of progress.
I absolutely love Munshi's narrative and as always Rakhshanda Jalil's phenomenal translation does justice to the original urdu version, and that's exactly why I always love to read Urdu books that have been translated by her. To all Indian classic lovers, this book is for you.
June 19, 2017
Light and simple stories at first glance but also clever, funny, and poignant.
September 19, 2015
A wonderful compilation of some of Munshi Premchand's short stories. Many are hard hitting and the bigger irony is that they are still relevant in India 80+ years after Munshi ji wrote about them. Rakshanda Jalil is a writer/editor and has done an excellent job of translating these ( She has translated other famous Hindi and Urdu writers like Manto, Renu, Quarrattalin Hyder etc ). This collection Includes some of my favorite stories - Budhi kaki, Idgah, Mandir aur masjid. Highly recommended for lovers of Hindi/Urdu literature.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews