PEG : The Shroud : Stories

About the Author: Ruth Munshi Premchand Munshi Premchand (July 31 1880-October 8 1936) (pen name:Premchand) was one of the greatest literary figures of modern Hindiand Urdu literature. Born as Dhanpat Rai Srivastava in Lamahi nearVaranasi his father worked as clerk in a post office. But hisparents died young - his mother when he was seven and his fatherwhile he was fourteen and still a student. He was left responsiblefor his stepmother and step-siblings. His first novella Asrar e Maabid was first published inAwaz-e-Khalq an Urdu Weekly after which he became associated withan Urdu magazine Zamana writing columns on national andinternational events. The writer is mainly recognised for hiscreations that always contained a social message and raised voiceagainst the social evils pertaining in the Indian society. Hiscreations brought the era of realism in the Indian literature atthat time when only fantasy fictions and religious writings weredominating it. Premchand embodied the social purpose and social criticism inhis characters that are subjected to the different circumstancesand act accordingly. The great novelist is ranked among thegreatest authors of the 20th century in India. Early in life he faced immense poverty earning a meagre fiverupees a month tutoring a lawyers child. He passed matriculationexams with great effort and took up a teaching position with amonthly salary of eighteen rupees. Later Dhanpat Rai worked as the deputy sub-inspector of schoolsin what was then the United Provinces. Initially Premchand wrote in Urdu under the name ofNawabrai. However when the British confiscated his novel Soz-e-Watan hestarted writing under the pseudonym Premchand. Before Premchand Hindi literature consisted mainly of fantasyor religious works. Premchand brought realism to Hindiliterature