Customer Reviews

Selected Stories (Modern Classics)

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I found out about Saadat Hasan Manto by reading his famous story, "Toba Tek Singh" in an anthology of Indian writing from 1947-1997 and was very impressed. But none of the stories in this collection are like "Toba Tek Singh" (with the exception of this story, which is included). Mr. Manto had not a nuance for language, or he may have, as I cannot read Urdu I have no clue, but a nuance for certain aspects of life, those of pimps and prostitutes, and for his depiction of these socially unacceptable people, Manto was seen as a pornographer. But this seems a short-sighted criticism, as the deviants, if you will, of a society, are a necessary element of it, and an exciting one too. The stories don't have that much variety in theme, as most deal with Partition, but they still sparkle and boil over with contempt. His dealings with the subject, though, vary; for instance, he makes use of sarcasm just as well as he does of harsh reality to relate the consequences of Partition. There is, however, one down-side to this book: the translation. I got through it mainly because it would have pained me terribly to put it down. This aside, the book is a necessity to anyone with an interest in Indian culture or literature.