The gift of a cow : a translation of the classic Hindi novel, Godaan / by Premchand ; translated into English by Gordon C. Roadarmel; with introduction by Vasudha Dalmia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Premacanda, 1881-1936

Standardized Title:

Godāna. English

Language:

English

Physical Description:

xxviii, 442 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

Reprint edition.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2002]

Summary:

Premchand is the most famous name in modern Hindi fiction, and Godaan is Premchand's most celebrated novel. It is the story of Hori, a poor peasant who yearns to own a cow and to make the pious Hindu's traditional gift to a Brahmin when he dies. Through Premchand's vivid character portrayals we witness the efforts of Hori's family to survive the conflicts of village politics and the webs spun by colonial landownership patterns. Counterposed to the culture of rural connectedness but also constriction is the isolation but also freedom of the city. Here the rigors of industrialization and empty materialism only can be offset by the promise of Gandhian idealism. An engaging introduction to north India before Independence, Godaan is at once village ethnography, moving human document, and insightful colonial history.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index (pages xvi-xvii).

ISBN:

0253215676

9780253215673

OCLC:

49334770