The tittle story is one that left me thinking over how even to this day what is being said in the public space can tear apart relationships that exist in private. Dhumketu’s stories unravel at a languid pace that is sure to leave readers soaking the manner in which characters and situations take turns that will leave them wanting for more. There is a universal flavour that comes from not rooting all stories in Gujarat. Dhumketu was the pen name of Gaurishankar Govardhanram Joshi, one of the foremost writers in Gujarati and a pioneer of the short story form whose prolific writing accounts for more than 500 short stories, 36 novels, plays etc amongst others!Īnd no, the stories aren’t specific to Gujarat for many of the characters and settings are situated out of the state which lends a distinct charm to the writing for the prime focus is on how people react to or take charge of situations, how they are affected by the smallest of things or swayed by a force that is larger than they can comprehend. Translated from Gujarati by Jenny Bhatt, Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu is a collection of 27 short stories that explore varied themes, contexts and settings. Thank you Harper Collins India for the review copy. Her writing has appeared in venues like The Atlantic, BBC Culture, The Washington Post, Literary Hub, Longreads, The Millions, Electric Literature, and others. Her short story collection, Each of Us Killers, was critically well-received. Jenny Bhatt is a writer, translator and book reviewer. He published twenty-four short story collections and thirty-two novels on social and historical subjects, as well as plays, biographies, memoirs, translations, travelogues, literary criticism, etc. Beautifully translated for a wide new audience by Jenny Bhatt, these much-loved stories – like the finest literature – remain remarkable and relevant even today.ĭhumketu was the pen name of Gaurishankar Govardhanram Joshi (1892-1965), one of the foremost writers in Gujarati and a pioneer of the short story form. Ratno Dholi brings together the first substantial collection of Dhumketu’s work to be available in English. Characterized by a fine sensitivity, deep humanism, perceptive observation and an intimate knowledge of both rural and urban life, his fiction has provided entertainment and edification to generations of Gujarati readers and speakers. When Dhumketu’s first collection of short stories, Tankha, came out in 1926, it revolutionized the genre in India. The tragic love story of a village drummer and his dancer lover…Ī long-awaited letter that arrives too late…Ī tea-house near Darjeeling, run by a mysterious queen… Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu, Translated by Jenny Bhatt
The Plague Upon Us by Shabir Ahmad Mir October 27, 2021.The Odd Book of Baby Names by Anees Salim November 23, 2021.
Follow Books and Conversations on Archives