A Clutch of Indian Masterpieces: Extraordinary 39 Short Stories from the 19th Century to the Present - David Davidar

Lovely collection of Indian short stories. Bought it for my 81 year old mother, who said now it's very difficult for her to remember the twists & turns & the plot in a full novel. She's loving this one. Few of the stories she had heard about. A few she had read. So it's all a great nostalgia trip for her. Once she's through, it'll be my turn. I haven't ever read Indian short stories. This is the best book to go about it, both for a veteran (to Indian writing) and beginner.

This is an absolute gem, no doubt. Each and every short story is so different and beautiful, the translation of each novel is brilliant and puts across the feel to the readers without losing out on its genuine feel. There are 39 short stories and it's very difficult to pick a favorite. Rabindranath tagore, premchand, Sadat hassan manto, vaikom muhammad Bashir are some of the authors whose work are there in book. The delivery and packaging was as usual great by Amazon.

The book is in amazing condition, and it is a must read book, you all shall go dive into this one, it’s totally worth it, and the hardcover by amazon has won my heart!

Excellent anthology. David Davidar deserves our gratitude for putting together such a wonderful collection. For once, the title is well justified by the contents of the book. Many of the stories are indeed masterpieces. Also remarkable is the fact that almost half of the stories are in original English, not translations. They show that Indian writing in English can stand on its own with ease and pride. I attempted a personal ranking of the 39 stories, and my top 5 are The Blue Umbrella, Old Cypress, Toba Tek Singh, The Flood, and Quilt.

This anthology is a collection of extraordinary short stories. Starting with a ghost story by Rabindranath Tagore and ending with Elephant at Sea by Kanishk Tharoor, this book truly captures the essence of Indian society in a microcosm.And if you are a person who judges a book by its cover (to be honest, all of us do), you would love this book! The book is hard bound, with easy to read font and a great book cover design.This anthology is a must have on every bibliophile's book shelf !

This book is a superb compilation of some of the most enthralling Indian stories written in various languages. David Davidar has indubitably put in a lot of effort in getting those stories translated to English by some eminent authors and compiling them according to the DOB of the original authors. There is a slight drawback though. Although I haven't read the compiled stories in original, but I have a gut feeling that the real flavour and spirit of the stories were somehow lost in translation. If one can ignore that, the stories shall keep the readers entranced till the end once the stories are begun.

Imagine getting to read Indian classics in English! I think that is reason enough to buy this book. The compilation is good, the breath of authors covered is excellent.I did not understand some of the stories, but I guess that is because sometimes no matter how good the translation is, its important to have the cultural and social context to understand the stories. I hope the author is planning another book on similar lines because there are so many other stories that still need to be made available in English

A real gem of a book. All the stories are good. Each on seperate theme addressing every aspect of human life and relations. It will be a prized possession.