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To Die in Benares
In seven grim, macabre and sometimes darkly comic tales, Madavane traces France’s forgotten colonial presence, playfully reinterprets Hindu myths and recounts the many ways to die in postcolonial India.
Born in Pondicherry, K. Madavane went to school at the Lycée Français de Pondichéry. He received his PhD from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he explored the theme of death in the Theatre of the Absurd. He taught in JNU for years before retiring in 2011. Madavane’s plays include The Mahabharata of Women, The Veritree or the Falsity of the Gods, A Monologue for a Woman on Stage, and 1947: The Man from Lahore, which was shortlisted for The Hindu Playwright Award in 2017.
To Die in Benares was first published in French as Mourir à Bénarès in 2004 and is one of his most acclaimed works. Madavane currently lives in Delhi with his wife.
Blake Smith is a historian of Indo-French relations. He currently works as a postdoctoral researcher at the European University Institute. In addition to his scholarly publications, he also writes regularly for popular media in North America and India.
Born in Pondicherry, K. Madavane went to school at the Lycée Français de Pondichéry. He received his PhD from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he explored the theme of death in the Theatre of the Absurd. He taught in JNU for years before retiring in 2011. Madavane’s plays include The Mahabharata of Women, The Veritree or the Falsity of the Gods, A Monologue for a Woman on Stage, and 1947: The Man from Lahore, which was shortlisted for The Hindu Playwright Award in 2017.
To Die in Benares was first published in French as Mourir à Bénarès in 2004 and is one of his most acclaimed works. Madavane currently lives in Delhi with his wife.
Blake Smith is a historian of Indo-French relations. He currently works as a postdoctoral researcher at the European University Institute. In addition to his scholarly publications, he also writes regularly for popular media in North America and India.
284 pages, Hardcover
Published September 20, 2018
4 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 18, 2019
Benares is one of the ancient and most loved cities in India. It is famous for the inflow of river Ganga and the pious ghats. People from all over the world flock to this city for finding liberation. It is believed that people come here after they die.
With the hauntingly beautiful narrative, To Die in Benares by K. Madavane is the book one must read to explore the mortality, immortality, fatality, and everything. Set in postcolonial India, the book consists of 7 short stories that would tickle something inside of you as you traverse the words. Dark, poignant, and heartbreaking are the words that resounded in my head as I finished reading this book. The characters are so well sketched and described that you find them real. The bleak plots are woven excellently that their darkness bewilders you. You, for once, feel what you are reading. You are absorbed by the smooth alternating between prose and poetry. You dwell deeper in Benares with the flow of the stories. You breathe its macabre and grim air and flame your dead spirits with burning pyres.
If you are looking for a fantastic reading experience from an Indian author, please do read it. I loved it and I really hope that you'd love it too.
With the hauntingly beautiful narrative, To Die in Benares by K. Madavane is the book one must read to explore the mortality, immortality, fatality, and everything. Set in postcolonial India, the book consists of 7 short stories that would tickle something inside of you as you traverse the words. Dark, poignant, and heartbreaking are the words that resounded in my head as I finished reading this book. The characters are so well sketched and described that you find them real. The bleak plots are woven excellently that their darkness bewilders you. You, for once, feel what you are reading. You are absorbed by the smooth alternating between prose and poetry. You dwell deeper in Benares with the flow of the stories. You breathe its macabre and grim air and flame your dead spirits with burning pyres.
If you are looking for a fantastic reading experience from an Indian author, please do read it. I loved it and I really hope that you'd love it too.
September 7, 2022
3.5
When I saw an Indian author writing in French, that too about Benares, picked it immediately.
Its a collection of 7 stories, all hovering around Benares and death in general.
1. A Paper Boat on the Ganges - The story I loved the most. Almost cried towards the end.
2. Your Kingdom for a Lie - Raja Harishchandra's story, and how one of the ghats in Benares was named as Harishchandra Ghaat.
3. A Holy Cow in Varanasi - A foreigner tours India with the help of an Indian accomplice. Writing format was a little unusual - with some text italicised in half width paragraphs depicting the observation around the scenes.
4. To Die in Benares - It starts with "She had just been told that her burial will take place tomorrow." An old lady whose wish was to be cremated in Benares, while her family customs wanted burial.
5. Poongavanam - A touch of Tamil legends. An old rustic tale about a lady possessed. Narrated by multiple persons related to her. This was interesting.
6. A Nail on a Tamarind Tree - Spooky horror story about a boy who wanted to poke nails on the last tamarind tree in a cemetery.
7. A Night of the New Moon - A story in two parts. About a buy who went looking out for her deceased mother's missing skull.
The sixth story formatting was weird. Alternate half width paragraphs - one left and one right. Felt like writing in an exam where your only motive is to fill more sheets :D
Overall:
1 and 5 were very good.
2 and 6 were okay.
Rest not that good.
When I saw an Indian author writing in French, that too about Benares, picked it immediately.
Its a collection of 7 stories, all hovering around Benares and death in general.
1. A Paper Boat on the Ganges - The story I loved the most. Almost cried towards the end.
2. Your Kingdom for a Lie - Raja Harishchandra's story, and how one of the ghats in Benares was named as Harishchandra Ghaat.
3. A Holy Cow in Varanasi - A foreigner tours India with the help of an Indian accomplice. Writing format was a little unusual - with some text italicised in half width paragraphs depicting the observation around the scenes.
4. To Die in Benares - It starts with "She had just been told that her burial will take place tomorrow." An old lady whose wish was to be cremated in Benares, while her family customs wanted burial.
5. Poongavanam - A touch of Tamil legends. An old rustic tale about a lady possessed. Narrated by multiple persons related to her. This was interesting.
6. A Nail on a Tamarind Tree - Spooky horror story about a boy who wanted to poke nails on the last tamarind tree in a cemetery.
7. A Night of the New Moon - A story in two parts. About a buy who went looking out for her deceased mother's missing skull.
The sixth story formatting was weird. Alternate half width paragraphs - one left and one right. Felt like writing in an exam where your only motive is to fill more sheets :D
Overall:
1 and 5 were very good.
2 and 6 were okay.
Rest not that good.
October 22, 2018
A lovely collection of stories from India. I would have never picked up this book if it wasn’t recommended by a friend. I have a lot to learn about Indian authors.
This is a short collection of stories and they all are linked to Benaras. It brought back memories from my trip to this place couple of years ago. Highly recommend it if you are trying to explore Indian writing.
This is a short collection of stories and they all are linked to Benaras. It brought back memories from my trip to this place couple of years ago. Highly recommend it if you are trying to explore Indian writing.
July 21, 2021
“Maharaj Ji, are you sure one day is enough to know everything about this city?”
“Bandhu, I bet I’ll make it in just a few hours! Close your eyes and do what I tell you.”
Now imagine that you appeared through the gates of the railway station, and starts your journey. You’re not mindful of the streets, mohallas, colonies and to be more precise, you’re not mindful of this city where you landed. You’re wandering wearily here and there without any clue. The sun is also not showing mercy on you. So you just halt at a ‘Halwai’ shop and asked for the address of one of your colleagues’ residences. The shopkeeper sees you, drained of strength and energy and offers you a glass of ‘Lassi’ with a cheerful smile. You drink it and proceed to pay but he respectfully denies it. You realise it at the moment that you’re in the city of Annapurna (The goddess of food and nourishment) where this mother makes sure that none of her children goes to bed with an empty stomach.
That's Varanasi for you.
Imagine you go to find a temple in the land of thousand temples. The sound of the conches, bells, and mantras awakens all the deities and lullabies from the Himalayas carried by the Ganges, making them all sleep peacefully.
A city of spiritual revelation where divinity resides and the devil reduces to ashes by the pyres.
A city of royal architectures and radiant flavours.
A city of gods and mortals.
A city of burnt and alive.
And a city of majestic Ganges, she flows with pride.
You sit near a sage, meditating, and watch a boat gliding on the Ganges.
That’s Kashi for you.
Now imagine you’re at the most famous site of the city, standing aloof from its bickering.
Watching the reality,
watching the truth,
watching the fire devouring woods and the huge volume of dark smoke rising above, making the darker sky, even more, darker and haunting. Hundreds and hundreds of pyres, carrying corpses on it, burning and mocking life. You look at the fire incinerating all the relations, respect, memories, enmity, insult, pride and everything else with the dead body. ‘Do not look at the funeral pyres. It's inauspicious.’, you say to yourself but you can’t avoid this tantalizing and haunting sight.
You realise that it can't be any other place. Here, death was born. You want to break free from the cruel karmic Cycle of this materialistic world. You want to lit your your own pyre. You wan to ‘die’ here immediately. But your eyes suddenly look at the serene Ganges and you withdraw your desire – to die in Benares.
That’s Benares for you.
…
After reading these seven dark, mysterious, suffocating, witty and ghostly stories of To Die in Benares, you’d want more. You’d feel like ‘seven’ are not enough. Madavane, a professional playwright, his gripping, rich and evocative storytelling brings soul to these stories. They are also dripped with dark humour, sarcasm and poignancy. And Blake Smith carves himself as a prolific translator by making us forget that this book was originally written and published in French. An exceptional work. I’d say don’t just add it to your cart, read it. I’d consider my work accomplished.
“Bandhu, I bet I’ll make it in just a few hours! Close your eyes and do what I tell you.”
Now imagine that you appeared through the gates of the railway station, and starts your journey. You’re not mindful of the streets, mohallas, colonies and to be more precise, you’re not mindful of this city where you landed. You’re wandering wearily here and there without any clue. The sun is also not showing mercy on you. So you just halt at a ‘Halwai’ shop and asked for the address of one of your colleagues’ residences. The shopkeeper sees you, drained of strength and energy and offers you a glass of ‘Lassi’ with a cheerful smile. You drink it and proceed to pay but he respectfully denies it. You realise it at the moment that you’re in the city of Annapurna (The goddess of food and nourishment) where this mother makes sure that none of her children goes to bed with an empty stomach.
That's Varanasi for you.
Imagine you go to find a temple in the land of thousand temples. The sound of the conches, bells, and mantras awakens all the deities and lullabies from the Himalayas carried by the Ganges, making them all sleep peacefully.
A city of spiritual revelation where divinity resides and the devil reduces to ashes by the pyres.
A city of royal architectures and radiant flavours.
A city of gods and mortals.
A city of burnt and alive.
And a city of majestic Ganges, she flows with pride.
You sit near a sage, meditating, and watch a boat gliding on the Ganges.
That’s Kashi for you.
Now imagine you’re at the most famous site of the city, standing aloof from its bickering.
Watching the reality,
watching the truth,
watching the fire devouring woods and the huge volume of dark smoke rising above, making the darker sky, even more, darker and haunting. Hundreds and hundreds of pyres, carrying corpses on it, burning and mocking life. You look at the fire incinerating all the relations, respect, memories, enmity, insult, pride and everything else with the dead body. ‘Do not look at the funeral pyres. It's inauspicious.’, you say to yourself but you can’t avoid this tantalizing and haunting sight.
You realise that it can't be any other place. Here, death was born. You want to break free from the cruel karmic Cycle of this materialistic world. You want to lit your your own pyre. You wan to ‘die’ here immediately. But your eyes suddenly look at the serene Ganges and you withdraw your desire – to die in Benares.
That’s Benares for you.
…
After reading these seven dark, mysterious, suffocating, witty and ghostly stories of To Die in Benares, you’d want more. You’d feel like ‘seven’ are not enough. Madavane, a professional playwright, his gripping, rich and evocative storytelling brings soul to these stories. They are also dripped with dark humour, sarcasm and poignancy. And Blake Smith carves himself as a prolific translator by making us forget that this book was originally written and published in French. An exceptional work. I’d say don’t just add it to your cart, read it. I’d consider my work accomplished.
October 14, 2022
Macabre and dreary shifting tales with a penchant for the dramatic!
April 29, 2022
Exquisite piece of writing. The prose, the poetry, the poetry like prose. The stories and characters are going to stay with me for a long time. I was taken on a magical journey through Benares, I was heart broken, I cried and was scared. I did not know a person could love a place like this; with its scars and divinity.
April 30, 2019
To Die in Benares by K. Madavane
Translated from French by Blake Smith
.
It is a collection of stories revolving around the first known city in the world, Benares, where people come after they die (at least in Hindu customs, all come here when dusted to ash).
The stories are about people either visiting Kashi as a tourist realizing certain ways of this city are beyond their comprehension, while others involve spirits and truths and/or superstitions around them.
My 2 favorite stories are the last two:
Nail in the Tamarind Tree
Deals with a bunch of guys making one of them climb an old Tamarind tree (known to harbor spirits) and hammer a nail in it as a bet
And,
A night of the new moon
A guy traveling to Kashi meets a companion on the way who turns out to be haunted by his dead mother's headless spirit
.
The best thing about this book is it's writing style and presentation that keeps on changing with every story. The author has carefully drafted each of them to give a wholesome experience to the reader.
The translation does justice to the entire feel of the writing and brings outs the author's capabilities quite well.
If you are looking to read something by an Indian author about India, this is it.
The collection is really good and a very close 4.5🌟 for me
Translated from French by Blake Smith
.
It is a collection of stories revolving around the first known city in the world, Benares, where people come after they die (at least in Hindu customs, all come here when dusted to ash).
The stories are about people either visiting Kashi as a tourist realizing certain ways of this city are beyond their comprehension, while others involve spirits and truths and/or superstitions around them.
My 2 favorite stories are the last two:
Nail in the Tamarind Tree
Deals with a bunch of guys making one of them climb an old Tamarind tree (known to harbor spirits) and hammer a nail in it as a bet
And,
A night of the new moon
A guy traveling to Kashi meets a companion on the way who turns out to be haunted by his dead mother's headless spirit
.
The best thing about this book is it's writing style and presentation that keeps on changing with every story. The author has carefully drafted each of them to give a wholesome experience to the reader.
The translation does justice to the entire feel of the writing and brings outs the author's capabilities quite well.
If you are looking to read something by an Indian author about India, this is it.
The collection is really good and a very close 4.5🌟 for me
November 10, 2018
Dark, poignant and witty! Makes one depressed and also elated at once.
Would the book mean the same to who 'connects' with Benares or otherwise? For me, i could feel the life in Benares flowing through the pages!
Would the book mean the same to who 'connects' with Benares or otherwise? For me, i could feel the life in Benares flowing through the pages!
November 29, 2025
the beginning of the book - A Paper Boat On The Ganges was the end of me
Read
October 30, 2024We all have our own ideas of love, deeply rooted in our hearts—like what Ganjavi would have in his heart while creating Laila-Majnun or Wadir Shah’s Heer-Ranjha, or the tales of Krishna-Radha! For me, that love is directed toward Banaras, a city I’ve never visited yet feel like I’ve lived there for ages.
Does it make sense? Perhaps it doesn’t have to.
This connection made me eager to pick up the book, drawn in by its title and cover alone. When it comes to non-fiction, I usually tread carefully, reading blurbs and reviews before making a purchase. However, I didn’t even pause to consider whether this was fiction or not, captivated as I was by the allure of Banaras.
This book is a collection of seven short stories that either take place in Banaras or highlight how individuals connect with the city even from afar.
I was particularly fascinated by the story that connects dying in Banaras to Naga traditions. Two other stories subtly incorporate Banaras while drawing from Tamil folklore, which I found intriguing but am still confused in terms of their connections.
My favorite tale focused on Harishchandra Ghat, although I have mixed feelings about its conclusion—did the King’s pride ultimately triumph or falter? Additionally, I found myself wishing for a narrative centered on Manikarnika Ghat, which remains such a significant aspect of the city.
While the book didn’t quite meet all my expectations, it ultimately fulfilled its purpose of providing me with the much-needed push to explore more literature set in Banaras, reinforcing the city's unique charm and complexity in my imagination.
Does it make sense? Perhaps it doesn’t have to.
This connection made me eager to pick up the book, drawn in by its title and cover alone. When it comes to non-fiction, I usually tread carefully, reading blurbs and reviews before making a purchase. However, I didn’t even pause to consider whether this was fiction or not, captivated as I was by the allure of Banaras.
This book is a collection of seven short stories that either take place in Banaras or highlight how individuals connect with the city even from afar.
I was particularly fascinated by the story that connects dying in Banaras to Naga traditions. Two other stories subtly incorporate Banaras while drawing from Tamil folklore, which I found intriguing but am still confused in terms of their connections.
My favorite tale focused on Harishchandra Ghat, although I have mixed feelings about its conclusion—did the King’s pride ultimately triumph or falter? Additionally, I found myself wishing for a narrative centered on Manikarnika Ghat, which remains such a significant aspect of the city.
While the book didn’t quite meet all my expectations, it ultimately fulfilled its purpose of providing me with the much-needed push to explore more literature set in Banaras, reinforcing the city's unique charm and complexity in my imagination.
March 23, 2021
I can relate to Blake Smith here, I too ordered the copy of 'to die in Benaras' on a wimp and the minute I read the first story I was in love. In love with the writing, in love with the descriptions—it was mesmerising. As an Indian, I got attached to these stories very quickly. I am not religious but I vaguely knew what the title itself meant. To die in Benaras is a blessing, people go to Benaras or to say Kashi in the last phase of their lives to attain Mukti aka liberation. All the stories are embarked with spirituality and I felt at home, I even related to the stories and some stories also dwell with Indian mythology. I will always carry fond memories with this novel because of this novel me and my brother had a long discussion about Indian mythology and being a Hindu itself. Of course, I'll highly recommend this collection of short stories.
February 17, 2022
A fascinating account of life in India: our ethnic customs, superstitions, and beliefs encircling death. The style of writing intoxicates the reader with its melancholic tales.
The book left me wanting - to visit and explore the iconic Kashi and experience it’s streets first-hand.
Would definitely recommend to anyone that’s interested in eccentric stories and lesser known surmises about India.
The book left me wanting - to visit and explore the iconic Kashi and experience it’s streets first-hand.
Would definitely recommend to anyone that’s interested in eccentric stories and lesser known surmises about India.
September 22, 2020
Prose and poetry is a mix in this book, written about Benaras. Though I have read a few books before this, which illustrate the city, To die in Benaras takes you close to the actualities of life along with the character of the city.
A decent read.
A decent read.
January 4, 2021
Very good collection of short stories. It makes the reader want to visit Benaras at least once in their lifetime. Quite a few of these are scary and transforming, so the reader gets a mix of emotions by the time he/she finishes the book.
September 7, 2023
It’s a beautiful mix of poetry and prose that continues to carry forward my sense of beauty through the years, ever since I first read it. I come back to this book whenever my longing for Benares grows. Mesmerising book and such an amazing translation! ❤️
March 14, 2021
Madavane's writing is reminiscent of R.K Narayan's style. Some stories worked for me whilst some did not. Perhaps some details did get lost in translation as the original book is in French.
July 13, 2023
7 fascinating stories about 1 fascinating city.. 1st painful..2nd emotional..inspirational ...3rd funny....4th tragic..5th mysterious....6th Road to death..and......7th Holy shit..scary
March 31, 2025
A short story collection with mostly meh stories
August 29, 2019
If you're looking to read something by an Indian author about India, this is it. Grab it. Read it. Feel it. It's time to wonder in Benares.🌹😍
Place with many names some call it Kashi so some benares to some Varanasi. Place of spirits and a place to die in.
It's a collection of short stories revolving around benares. Dark, Witty and Poignant! Makes you depressed and tell you so many ways to die in Benares.
Wonderfully written by K. Madavane and Translated from French by Blake Smith.
Rating - 5/5🌹
Place with many names some call it Kashi so some benares to some Varanasi. Place of spirits and a place to die in.
It's a collection of short stories revolving around benares. Dark, Witty and Poignant! Makes you depressed and tell you so many ways to die in Benares.
Wonderfully written by K. Madavane and Translated from French by Blake Smith.
Rating - 5/5🌹
February 26, 2021
Hauntingly beautiful!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews