Exploring Contemporary Indian Short Stories
‘The Heterogeneity of Story Writing’ (2015), edited by Dr P V Laxmiprasad, is an exquisite compilation of forty-three articles contributed by thirty-two critics on the short stories of eight Indian writers, making it substantial and diverse, both in variety and range. In addition to the articles, there are three inclusive interviews with three of the story writers: the editor has interviewed P C K Prem and P Raja; and Jaydeep Sarangi is in conversation with Basavaraj Naikar. In addition to the above-mentioned three short story writers (the interviewees), the other five names are Nalini Sharma, Rita Nath Keshari, Pronab Kumar Majumder, Anil K. Sharma, and Aju Mukhopadhyay. The editor has provided readers with a brief biographical sketch of all eight short story writers, along with a page exclusively dedicated to the list of the short stories penned by them. In his note to the readers, the editor offers a concise and precise introduction to the skill and technique of short story writing, the role of a narrator, and the history of Indian storytelling and literature. The editor also introduces the “Eight Story Writers” (12) and acknowledges the sincere efforts of the contributors. The book ends with a ‘List of Contributors.’
The book, in the true sense of the word, justifies its title and presents a plethora of perspectives and new approaches in the field of research on Indian short story writers in general, and the eight renowned short story writers in particular. Touching on the varied, mellifluous chords of Indian life, as manifested in the short stories of these eight writers, the critics have succeeded in conveying and accentuating the indigenous tones. Most of the articles are very good. Working on new writers is always challenging for any critic. The critics have successfully explored all the story writers from different dimensions. In a nutshell, quality, rather than quantity, should have been given preference. As far as the number of articles is concerned, there are forty-three, which is the hallmark of this collection. Nevertheless, besides conveying the pulse of style, settings, and themes of Indian short stories, the book can be a useful referential text for anyone interested in studying these eight contemporary Indian short story writers.
Laxmiprasad worked on emerging story writers from India, making it an innovative project in the end. His choice of new story writers is always an interesting field of research exploration. He prefers emerging story writers to those already established. This critical book is highly useful for researchers in the future.