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A review by prettypaperback1
The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told by Rita Kothari
4.0
Synopsis
The twenty-three stories in The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told represent some of the finest short fiction in Gujarati literature. Selected and edited by translator and writer Rita Kothari, this collection features established literary masters such as K. M. Munshi, Dhumketu, Himanshi Shelat, Dalpat Chauhan, Nazir Mansuri, and Mona Patrawalla, as well as accomplished new voices such as Panna Trivedi, Abhimanyu Acharya, Raam Mori, and others.
In K. M. Munshi’s epistolary ‘A Letter’, a childbride is worked to her death as she yearns for her husband’s affection; in Neerav Patel’s ‘Creamy Layer’, the politicized, urban, and upwardly mobile Mr and Mrs Vaghela must confront the deep chasm that has grown between them and their family in the village; in Panna Trivedi’s ‘Maajo’, the story’s eponymous young narrator longs for butter-soft skin and a Shah Rukh-like glance from a young man on the train; in ‘Saubhagyavati: The Fortunate Wife’, Dwiref explores the selfish and oppressive nature of marital sex; in ‘A Drop of Blood’ Jayant Khatri looks at how violent acts engender more violence; Mona Patrawalla explores the tribal region of the Dangs and paints a hairraising picture of the violent forms of power wielded by the Parsi landlords there in ‘The Black Horse’; in Dashrath Parmar’s ‘Nandu’, the narrator struggles to hide his caste in the face of insistent questions; in ‘Jumo Bhishti’ by Dhumketu, we see the wonderful bond between Jumo and his beloved buffalo, Venu; and in Abhimanyu Acharya’s ‘Chunni’, a young woman, Shaili, navigates the world of dating in a city far away from home—these and other stories in the collection are passionate, profound, and timeless, showcasing a range of styles and offering a variegated and singular picture of Gujarat.
My Take
What drew me to this book was its title "The Greatest Gujrati Stories Ever Told " In schools, we were asked to read books by Enid Blyton or Nancy Drew series. During highschools, we were asked to read books by Shakespeare (As you like it and The merchant of Venice) so I never really got a chance to explore our Indian Literature much, This was my first experience with Gujarati literature.
This book has around 23 short stories by different authors each covering and targeting different subjects. Some of these stories are thought-provoking. A few short stories that I really liked was Subhagyavati: The fortunate wife, Nightmare, the death of Maaja Vela, Vaadki & Maajo. I relate to a few of them.
In my opinion, this book represents the finest Gujrati Fiction and Rita Kothari has done a great job. this book is not for light reading, some stories are really heavy and intriguing. Gujrat and these stories have left an imprint on my heart forever and I can't wait to read and explore more Gujrati Fiction.
The twenty-three stories in The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told represent some of the finest short fiction in Gujarati literature. Selected and edited by translator and writer Rita Kothari, this collection features established literary masters such as K. M. Munshi, Dhumketu, Himanshi Shelat, Dalpat Chauhan, Nazir Mansuri, and Mona Patrawalla, as well as accomplished new voices such as Panna Trivedi, Abhimanyu Acharya, Raam Mori, and others.
In K. M. Munshi’s epistolary ‘A Letter’, a childbride is worked to her death as she yearns for her husband’s affection; in Neerav Patel’s ‘Creamy Layer’, the politicized, urban, and upwardly mobile Mr and Mrs Vaghela must confront the deep chasm that has grown between them and their family in the village; in Panna Trivedi’s ‘Maajo’, the story’s eponymous young narrator longs for butter-soft skin and a Shah Rukh-like glance from a young man on the train; in ‘Saubhagyavati: The Fortunate Wife’, Dwiref explores the selfish and oppressive nature of marital sex; in ‘A Drop of Blood’ Jayant Khatri looks at how violent acts engender more violence; Mona Patrawalla explores the tribal region of the Dangs and paints a hairraising picture of the violent forms of power wielded by the Parsi landlords there in ‘The Black Horse’; in Dashrath Parmar’s ‘Nandu’, the narrator struggles to hide his caste in the face of insistent questions; in ‘Jumo Bhishti’ by Dhumketu, we see the wonderful bond between Jumo and his beloved buffalo, Venu; and in Abhimanyu Acharya’s ‘Chunni’, a young woman, Shaili, navigates the world of dating in a city far away from home—these and other stories in the collection are passionate, profound, and timeless, showcasing a range of styles and offering a variegated and singular picture of Gujarat.
My Take
What drew me to this book was its title "The Greatest Gujrati Stories Ever Told " In schools, we were asked to read books by Enid Blyton or Nancy Drew series. During highschools, we were asked to read books by Shakespeare (As you like it and The merchant of Venice) so I never really got a chance to explore our Indian Literature much, This was my first experience with Gujarati literature.
This book has around 23 short stories by different authors each covering and targeting different subjects. Some of these stories are thought-provoking. A few short stories that I really liked was Subhagyavati: The fortunate wife, Nightmare, the death of Maaja Vela, Vaadki & Maajo. I relate to a few of them.
In my opinion, this book represents the finest Gujrati Fiction and Rita Kothari has done a great job. this book is not for light reading, some stories are really heavy and intriguing. Gujrat and these stories have left an imprint on my heart forever and I can't wait to read and explore more Gujrati Fiction.