palwasha_here's review
4.0
Manto knew how to write, you have to give him that.
This was my first time reading him and I think this collection is the right place to start from.
Five of the stories were 5 star reads for me the rest 4 or 3.
This was my first time reading him and I think this collection is the right place to start from.
Five of the stories were 5 star reads for me the rest 4 or 3.
pinkballoon100's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rsyngh's review
3.0
I had quite some expectations for this book as the back cover of the book lauds him as the forgotten but greatest short story writer of the Indian subcontinent.
The book did (almost) deliver that promise as the stories were precise i.e. captured the essence of what he wanted to be conveyed in the exact amount .
Manto was not concerned with giving a 'moral of the story' or a happy ending just for the sake of it.
But I did feel something to be missing in these stories. Its hard to pinpoint what but there was something not there .Maybe its my immaturity or maybe future rereads will give me that missing thing . So when I was done with the book , there was a sense of something lacking in reading it.
The book did (almost) deliver that promise as the stories were precise i.e. captured the essence of what he wanted to be conveyed in the exact amount .
Manto was not concerned with giving a 'moral of the story' or a happy ending just for the sake of it.
But I did feel something to be missing in these stories. Its hard to pinpoint what but there was something not there .Maybe its my immaturity or maybe future rereads will give me that missing thing . So when I was done with the book , there was a sense of something lacking in reading it.
arundathic's review
5.0
I have started really enjoying short stories recently, in part because of my shortened attention span and in part because some of them can be really really good.
In all of the stories, the focus was on the people. What he chooses to explore is what goes on in their minds and this appealed to me a lot. I especially enjoyed the stories that were set during the freedom struggle and partition, they were written from a perspective that isn't usually talked about.
Also, in the part where they talked about the author, I came to know he is called one of India's best short story writers and I don't know whether the fact that I hear about him only very recently says more about me or about the way we are taught English.
In all of the stories, the focus was on the people. What he chooses to explore is what goes on in their minds and this appealed to me a lot. I especially enjoyed the stories that were set during the freedom struggle and partition, they were written from a perspective that isn't usually talked about.
Also, in the part where they talked about the author, I came to know he is called one of India's best short story writers and I don't know whether the fact that I hear about him only very recently says more about me or about the way we are taught English.
lyallpur_kahani's review
3.0
I've read a few stories of Manto before, have experienced his thoughts visually as well through movies and it always left me in awe. Stories written decades ago are still prevalent, if I say in a much more normalized way it wouldn't be wrong.
I didn't enjoy this translation GOD knows why maybe because the stories lost their essence in the translation process as this translated version stands out as bland & boring to me. If it were in Urdu my ratings would've been different for it. I love how Manto writes and his boldness to express the issues which were & still are considered taboo.
I didn't enjoy this translation GOD knows why maybe because the stories lost their essence in the translation process as this translated version stands out as bland & boring to me. If it were in Urdu my ratings would've been different for it. I love how Manto writes and his boldness to express the issues which were & still are considered taboo.
lovelifeandbeyond's review
4.0
I am not a big fan of short stories and the only ones I've read are by O Henry and Poe. I am so glad that I came across this book because the stories were riveting. He has a twist at the end that leaves you in wonder. His views are progressive and many of his thoughts are relevant even today
sridevi93's review
5.0
Manto truly has a way with words. His stories were written over 60 years ago and yet (in some cases, sadly) still hold relevance to today's world. His stories on Partition and the Independence movement (Toba Tek Singh, Khol Do, The Dog of Tithwal, Ram Khilavan, For Freedom) provides a unique lens into the trauma and pain during this time period. His other stories provide a glimpse into the Bombay of the 1930s-40s in a way that I have not found in other contemporary South Asian writers.
My favorites:
-Toba Tek Singh (classic; been assigned in every South Asia history class I've been in)
-Khol Do (heartbreaking)
-Ten Rupees
-Licence
Also really appreciated Aatish Taseer's introduction discussing the political divide between Urdu and Hindi as well as an insight into translating Manto's works into English.
My favorites:
-Toba Tek Singh (classic; been assigned in every South Asia history class I've been in)
-Khol Do (heartbreaking)
-Ten Rupees
-Licence
Also really appreciated Aatish Taseer's introduction discussing the political divide between Urdu and Hindi as well as an insight into translating Manto's works into English.
canis_majoris's review
5.0
I feel like writing a review for every story but then I realised it would be a very useless act.
Just read the stories and live the long silence that you feel over your existence after reading them.
The stories are carefully chosen from a very large collection of stories by Manto. Nandita Das deserves a credit for that.
Manto Zindabad!!
Just read the stories and live the long silence that you feel over your existence after reading them.
The stories are carefully chosen from a very large collection of stories by Manto. Nandita Das deserves a credit for that.
Manto Zindabad!!
thepavand's review
5.0
This is a collection of ten of Manto's most well known stories, translated by Aatish Taseer. The translation is occasionally a bit off and the meaning not always clear, giving the general impression of reading better in the original language, Urdu. The introduction is a good addition to the book, I felt, expressing a general love for Urdu. I am tempted to learn Urdu now.
Manto is a delightful writer, the stories are intense and crisp. They are mostly straight forward and easy to read but contain great nuance. Manto deals expertly with sexual themes- there is no excessive euphemism or unnecessarily florid language, something a lot of very accomplished authors falter at.
This is a very elementary collection, 10 in number and of 130 pages in total. Most of the stories set in pre-independence Bombay, a couple set during or after the partition. My favourite was Ram Khilawan, because it holds a lot of relevance today, more than the others.
Manto is a must-read, if only at least his most famous stories as in this collection. The stories are: Ten Rupees, Blouse, Khol Do, Khaled Mian, My Name is Radha, Ram Khilavan, Licence, The Mice of Shah Daulah, For Freedom, Smell.
Manto is a delightful writer, the stories are intense and crisp. They are mostly straight forward and easy to read but contain great nuance. Manto deals expertly with sexual themes- there is no excessive euphemism or unnecessarily florid language, something a lot of very accomplished authors falter at.
This is a very elementary collection, 10 in number and of 130 pages in total. Most of the stories set in pre-independence Bombay, a couple set during or after the partition. My favourite was Ram Khilawan, because it holds a lot of relevance today, more than the others.
Manto is a must-read, if only at least his most famous stories as in this collection. The stories are: Ten Rupees, Blouse, Khol Do, Khaled Mian, My Name is Radha, Ram Khilavan, Licence, The Mice of Shah Daulah, For Freedom, Smell.
perspectives's review
5.0
Somewhere in these 10 short stories, I found myself thinking about these characters more than I wanted to. They had me wanting to pull at my own short stories, the old ones I had written when I had time and ambition left in my fingers, and wanted me to write my own characters, with their own mysterious endings. But, above all, they had me thinking about how good of an observer I really was not as compared to Manto. This short story collection is fiction. But, is it? When Manto pulls in and out of his stories, writes them with the fresh detail that one could only write with if experienced, and spends words like they are gold, is it really fiction? Or somewhere do we find ourselves in these stories?
I'll first start with how I discovered this book before I get into the gritty details of the collection and its contents. I was procrastinating on my work and watching an interview with noted actress, Shalini Pandey discussing her favorite authors. Her serious expression when discussing Manto's work enticed me into downloading this collection onto my Kindle; the serious looking cover had me simply peep into the first pages of the stories. And, that peep spilled into an undying appreciation for Manto. These stories will confuse you. I've had to look up endings to so many, just to understand if the connotation I understood was actually true or if I had misinterpreted with a despicable thought. Once you realize the connotation is true, you think then about how everything clicks in your mind. The stories never end with a giant moment, they just end as all good stories do. They end without really ending.
I was going to review the stories in detail, but I think to even reveal the plot to some stories would be to create an expectation which I do not wish to create. So, here are my favorites: Ten Rupees, Khol Do, Khaled Mian, My Name is Radha, Licence, and The Mice of Shah Daulah. Out of these, two are especially notable for me: Khol Do and My Name is Radha.
Khol Do is a fairly short "short story" but the effect it leaves on the reader is long. My friends had met up with me minutes after I finished this story and I could not even come back to reality after finishing the story for an hour. Even with the cloud of laughter around me, my mind kept lingering around this story, thinking about the trauma it intends. It really did unhinge me.
My Name is Radha is more lighthearted in a way, but it was the story I most related to. I understood Radha, I saw myself in her. In fact, every woman has a little bit of Radha- the sexy, wild woman who wants a man she can't have for a thrill. The high of being sensual, it's another persona in itself. I seriously projected myself onto this story, because we all know a Radha, and sometimes we all are a Radha.
Manto, my new all-time favorite.
I'll first start with how I discovered this book before I get into the gritty details of the collection and its contents. I was procrastinating on my work and watching an interview with noted actress, Shalini Pandey discussing her favorite authors. Her serious expression when discussing Manto's work enticed me into downloading this collection onto my Kindle; the serious looking cover had me simply peep into the first pages of the stories. And, that peep spilled into an undying appreciation for Manto. These stories will confuse you. I've had to look up endings to so many, just to understand if the connotation I understood was actually true or if I had misinterpreted with a despicable thought. Once you realize the connotation is true, you think then about how everything clicks in your mind. The stories never end with a giant moment, they just end as all good stories do. They end without really ending.
I was going to review the stories in detail, but I think to even reveal the plot to some stories would be to create an expectation which I do not wish to create. So, here are my favorites: Ten Rupees, Khol Do, Khaled Mian, My Name is Radha, Licence, and The Mice of Shah Daulah. Out of these, two are especially notable for me: Khol Do and My Name is Radha.
Khol Do is a fairly short "short story" but the effect it leaves on the reader is long. My friends had met up with me minutes after I finished this story and I could not even come back to reality after finishing the story for an hour. Even with the cloud of laughter around me, my mind kept lingering around this story, thinking about the trauma it intends. It really did unhinge me.
My Name is Radha is more lighthearted in a way, but it was the story I most related to. I understood Radha, I saw myself in her. In fact, every woman has a little bit of Radha- the sexy, wild woman who wants a man she can't have for a thrill. The high of being sensual, it's another persona in itself. I seriously projected myself onto this story, because we all know a Radha, and sometimes we all are a Radha.
Manto, my new all-time favorite.