Westland Books Revives Munshi Premchand's Literary Gems

Earlier today Westland Books announced the release of four classics written by the renowned Hindi and Urdu writer Munshi Premchand: the novels Gaban and Godaan and two collections of his much-loved short stories, Poos Ki Raat Aur Anya Kahaniyaan and Idgaah Aur Anya Kahaniyaan. These have been published under the Eka imprint of Westland Books and will be available in all offline and online bookstores from today onwards.

 
Announcing the release, the Publisher, Indian Literature at Westland Books, Minakshi Thakur said, "Through these editions, we will return to the enduring works we first read as young readers, and rediscover Premchand’s greatness. His writing remains relevant even today. The idea is also to attract new readers to his short stories which are unapparelled in their craft and in their faithful portrayal of Indian society."
 
 

ABOUT THE BOOKS
 
GABAN (Hindi)
 
FROM THE GRAND OLD MAN OF HINDI LITERATURE
 
This novel written by the grand old man of Hindi literature, Premchand, depicts the realities of Indian social structure with empathy and precision. Gaban is the story of a young man named Ramanath, an ordinary clerk, who takes to unethical means to fulfil his wife Jalpa’s desire for jewellery, which affects their personal relationship and eventually leaves Ramnath humiliated.
 
To escape this humiliation, he escapes to Calcutta. But troubles continue to chase him and he gets caught in the maze of India’s judicial system, witnessing first-hand the deep- set corruption, cruelty and inhumanity of police officials. Remorseful, Jalpa too comes to Calcutta in search of him and helps him get out of jail. In the meantime, a great public awakening begins against the dictatorship of the police, and Jalpa becomes an active part of it.
 
GODAAN (Hindi)
 
ONE OF THE HIGHEST-SELLING HINDI NOVELS OF ALL TIME
 
This novel by Premchand, considered the father of modern Hindi literature, was published in 1936. Its central theme is the deeply entrenched socio-economic disparity in Indian society. In this novel, through the eyes of an ordinary farmer called Hori, the entire village is vividly depicted. Hori wished to buy a cow which would improve his fortune. He managed to get one, but Hori's jealous brother killed the cow. After this, it was as if an avalanche of trouble struck Hori.
 
Godaan is a ritual done before someone’s death as per Hindu custom. It is believed that by donating a cow to a Brahmin at the time of death, a person is forgiven all his sins and they smoothly cross over Vaitarini (the river of death) holding the cow’s tail. Was Hori able to do 'Godaan' in his last moments?
 
POOS KI RAAT (Hindi)
 
A WELL-CURATED SELECTION OF PREMCHAND’S SHORT STORIES
 
Premchand's stories address the concerns of the lower and middle classes of Indian society. His writing is known for its faithful depiction of the social-reform movements, freedom struggle and progressive movements that occurred in his time. Premchand remains as relevant today as he was a century ago. It is necessary to read him to understand India and its complex social fabric. In his writings, one gets to see the many Indias that exist within our country.
 
IDGAAH (Hindi)
 
A WELL-CURATED SELECTION OF PREMCHAND’S SHORT STORIES
 
Premchand's stories address the concerns of the lower and middle classes of Indian society. His writing is known for its faithful depiction of the social-reform movements, freedom struggle and progressive movements that occurred in his time. Premchand remains as relevant today as he was a century ago. It is necessary to read him to understand India and its complex social fabric. In his writings, one gets to see the many Indias that exist within our country.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (1880 – 1936), better known as Munshi Premchand or Premchand was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindi/Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer of Hindi and Urdu social fiction. He was one of the first authors to write about caste hierarchies and the plight of women and labourers prevalent in the society. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindi writers of the early twentieth century. He began writing under the pen name ‘Nawab Rai’, but subsequently switched to ‘Premchand’. He published his first collection of five short stories in 1907 in a book called Soz-e-Watan (Voice of the Nation). His body of work include more than a dozen novels, around 300 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi.