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Selected Short Stories
Munshi Premchand (1880 - 1936) brought realism into fiction and introduced the genre of short story while writing in Hindi and Urdu. He wrote in a simple, direct and highly expressive language that reflected the social milieu of his times. "Selected Short Stories" brings together seven of Premchand's masterpieces that transcend time and place. These stories speak of human emotions that have universal appeal - love, sacrifice, compassion, resolve, justice, respect and friendship. Hamid's selfless act, Sujan Singh's quest to identify a suitable candidate for the top post, Bansidhar's unwavering resolve in face of the power of money, the friendship between Hira-Moti and Jumman-Alagu, the temporary intoxication of Ishwari's friend and the evolving relationship between two brothers are poignant stories that will be of enduring value to young readers.
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1993
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About the author
Munshi Premchand
1,156 books1,161 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 11, 2013
A collection of translated stories by the master Hindi storyteller Premchand. Quite a mixed bunch of stories. Some of them very enjoyable and deeply touching. Definitely worth a read. Shows how Premchand liked to tackle common social issues of the day and question what may have been assumed to be quite normal. The translation has 16 stories and the translator Purnima Mazumdar has done well to make sure that the genius of Premchand is still captured despite the translation.
Of the 16 stories in this collection, I strongly recommend the following:
1. Jamai Babu - A touching story about both the connection between a mother and a son and how in Indian culture a husband is looked down upon if he depends too much on his wife's family for help and is not independent. The protagonist's condition worsens depressingly through the story but in the end he makes a difficult decision and in the end his spirit triumphs.
2. The Chess Players - a short and enjoyable story of the falling out between two friends in the backdrop of a historical event. Also picturized into a Hindi film by Satyajit Ray, which I hope to catch soon to see how Satyajit Ray has dealt with the story.
3. Game of Tip Cat - A story about how childhood relationships and equations between friends can be turned topsy turvy once the children grow up and take on the role of a grown ups.
Some of the other stories worth a look are:
- 'One and a Quarter Kilo of Wheat' - This story depicts the trials and tribulations of bonded labourers and how really small borrowings can be exploited to sentence multiple generations into slavery.
- While Nadir Shah's invasion of India is well known not least because of his infamous massacre in Delhi, 'Retrospection' is a very short story (all of three pages) that depicts Nadir Shah's benign treatment of the royal queens of Delhi.
- 'Two brothers' shows how the love of two brothers for each other can be diluted if poisoned by the attitudes of their wives.
An electronic copy of this book is easily available from Infibeam.com.
Of the 16 stories in this collection, I strongly recommend the following:
1. Jamai Babu - A touching story about both the connection between a mother and a son and how in Indian culture a husband is looked down upon if he depends too much on his wife's family for help and is not independent. The protagonist's condition worsens depressingly through the story but in the end he makes a difficult decision and in the end his spirit triumphs.
2. The Chess Players - a short and enjoyable story of the falling out between two friends in the backdrop of a historical event. Also picturized into a Hindi film by Satyajit Ray, which I hope to catch soon to see how Satyajit Ray has dealt with the story.
3. Game of Tip Cat - A story about how childhood relationships and equations between friends can be turned topsy turvy once the children grow up and take on the role of a grown ups.
Some of the other stories worth a look are:
- 'One and a Quarter Kilo of Wheat' - This story depicts the trials and tribulations of bonded labourers and how really small borrowings can be exploited to sentence multiple generations into slavery.
- While Nadir Shah's invasion of India is well known not least because of his infamous massacre in Delhi, 'Retrospection' is a very short story (all of three pages) that depicts Nadir Shah's benign treatment of the royal queens of Delhi.
- 'Two brothers' shows how the love of two brothers for each other can be diluted if poisoned by the attitudes of their wives.
An electronic copy of this book is easily available from Infibeam.com.
October 2, 2014
This was my first formal encounter with the famous Premchand's short stories, although his work is such an integral part of Indian literature that two of the tales in this collection were instantly familiar to me (from my school textbooks).
Premchand's vivid characters and unassuming plots make for beautiful, charming stories. The seven tales in this book instantly won me over, especially the lovely, touching "Idgah." The author's empathy and knowledge of human nature are showcased in each of his expertly crafted stories, and successive re-readings are recommended to fully appreciate the depth of his characters and their lives :)
Premchand's vivid characters and unassuming plots make for beautiful, charming stories. The seven tales in this book instantly won me over, especially the lovely, touching "Idgah." The author's empathy and knowledge of human nature are showcased in each of his expertly crafted stories, and successive re-readings are recommended to fully appreciate the depth of his characters and their lives :)
January 8, 2015
Makes for a very breezy read. With salt-of-the-earth stories like Idgah and Salt Inspector make for special mention. Pre-independence Indian socirety can be truly experienced from the words of the master!
August 17, 2016
A fine collection of beautiful stories by arguably the best writer of Hindustani language. The book contains various short stories of which Chess Player (Shatranj ke Khiladi) and Shroud (Kafan) are my favourites.
March 13, 2012
Few nice stories but most of the others teach you a lesson :- Premchand doesn't sound so sweet in English.
Want to read
February 6, 2015he was great author of urdu and hindi Novels, porse and short stories
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2016
Selected Stories of Premchandi want to read undeserved reward by premchand
January 17, 2020
Highly recommended and Eidgah is one of the best story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews