The Indian short story is extraordinary in its ability to stick to the traditional rules of the craft and still demonstrate remarkable originality. It revolves around a limited number of characters, confines itself in time and space, and has a well-plotted narrative that drives its central theme. Within the traditional framework, however, creativity flowers and a fresh and imaginative story emerges. This volume is chock-full with such stories, written by authors well known in their regional languages as well as those who have made a name for themselves in English literary circles. Carefully selected by India's literary giant, the late Khushwant Singh, these pieces represent the best of Indian writing from around the country.

This Volume Contains All Of Khushwant Singh`S Short Stories That Have Appeared In Smaller Collections, An Essay `On The Short Story` As A Lively Introduction To This Volume And A Hither To Un Published Story The Convent

‘Balzac could not have done better’ —The Financial Express In this sparkling collection of stories, India’s best-known writer addresses some pertinent questions: Why do we believe in miracles? Can a horoscope guarantee the perfect wife? Is the Kamasutra a useful manual for newlyweds? Margaret Bloom arrives in Haridwar from New York to save her soul. But she soon discovers that there are temptations even on the banks of the holy Ganga. Madan Mohan Pandey, amateur astrologer and scholar of ancient Hindu texts, finds to his horror that his doe-like bride is not quite what he had expected. Pious Zora Singh, Pride of the Nation, rumoured to be a chaar sau bees and a womanizer, silences his detractors by earning the Bharat Ratna. Devi Lal makes his peace with a fickle God when his daughter-in-law delivers a son, following secret visits to the Peer Sahib’s tomb. And Vijay Lall, emboldened by his miraculous escape from death, decides to act upon his silent obsession with Karuna Chaudhury, which takes him to a shifty soothsayer behind the Khan Market loo. Khushwant Singh returns to the short story after decades to deliver a truly memorable collection—humorous, provocative, tongue-in-cheek, ribald and even, at times, tender.

‘A Khushwant Singh short story is not flamboyant but modest, restrained, well-crafted...Perhaps his greatest gift as a writer is a wonderful particularity of description’—London Magazine Khushwant Singh first established his reputation as a writer through the short story. His stories—wry, poignant, erotic and, above all, human—bear testimony to Khushwant Singh’s remarkable range and his ability to create an unforgettable PBI - World. Spanning over half a century, this volume contains all the short stories Khushwant Singh has ever written, including the delightfully tongue-in-cheek ‘The Maharani of Chootiapuram’, written in 2008. ‘Khushwant’s stories enthrall...[He has]an ability akin to that of Somerset Maugham...the ability to entertain intelligently’—PBI - India Today ‘His stories are better than [those of] any PBI - Indian writing in English—Times of PBI - India ‘The Collected Short Stories leaves the reader in a delightful, inebriated trance’—Sunday Chronicle ‘He is not an ordinary short story writer...[Collected Stories] is delightful reading’—Hindustan Times

24 stories from today's best indian authors India's literary tradition has found a growing audience around the world. Many talented writers have arrived on the scene, each illuminating different parts of the Indian experience, from years of colonial rule to the unique challenges of life in the West. This important anthology includes short stories and novel excerpts from Salman Rushdie, Kiran Desai, Rohinton Mistry, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Anita Desai, Bharati Mukherjee, R. K. Narayan, and sixteen more.

The essential Khushwant Singh collection. In an essay in this anthology, Khushwant Singh claims that he is not a nice man to know. Whatever the truth of that assertion, there is little question about his skill as a witty, eloquent and entertaining writer. This book collects the best of over three decades of the author’s prose—including his finest journalistic pieces, short stories, translations, jokes, plays as well as excerpts from his non-fiction books and novels. Taken together, the pieces in this selection (some of which have never been published before) show just why Khushwant Singh is the country’s most widely read columnist and one of its most celebrated authors.

This book is a selection from Gossip Sweet and Sour and Malice in which Khushwant Singh gives you the the low down on people he has known and places he has visited. In these pages, you will be introduced to people like Mountbatten, Faiz, Shraddha Mata, P.C. Lal, Phoolan Devi and many others and you will travel to places as well known as Pakistan and Korea and as remote as Papua New Guinea. Irrepressible, incorrigibly provocative, perceptive Khushwant was never better.

Would you be able to escape a raging inferno, if your only way out was blocked by your deepest fears? Would you manage to survive on your own, or would you need someone’s help…anyone’s help… Should we fear those among us who perform seemingly impossible feats, or should we try and understand them instead? And in doing so, might we learn something that may enrich our own lives? Are changes in our relationships always brought about by arguments and force? Or may they sometimes come to pass effortlessly, through sheer good fortune? When you look in the mirror, how certain are you that the person looking back at you is truly…you? What if it isn’t…and what if they…don’t like you? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…correct? How about: never do unto others, what you would never have them do unto you? This applies to everyone: you, me, and even the occasional serial killer. A bereft heart heals on its own. And with a little comfort and honesty, it may find love again…even where there was none to begin with. With tales of supernatural occurrences, fantasy, crime, love and personal growth, Dreamtamer and Other Short Stories explores multiple genres through a collection of six works of fiction. There’s a little something for everyone, and a lot for lovers of a good tale.