Premchand in World Languages

Reviews / Votes

'The name Premchand inspires affection, a feeling of one's ownness, more than anything else. He is, and has been, respected and admired perennially: as a writer of an India that was in turmoil and transition. More than almost any other writer, Premchand was aware of both.

Any examination or re-examination of Premchand is always welcome. He has been translated copiously, some in languages which have little in common with the Urdu/Hindi that he wrote in. He himself ventured into the world of films (with scant success) and films based on his fiction have been made (though with scant success, again).

From all points of view: translation, interpretation, mediation through performing arts, the instant collection of essays is a valuable contribution to Premchand studies.'

- Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Urdu writer, poet and critic

'World writers become so by fame or through translation - sometimes both. To what extent is Premchand a world writer? This volume brilliantly opens up the question by exploring the many dimensions of translation across media and across languages - English, other European languages, Soviet Russian - as well as paying attention to Premchand's own multiple translation practices. A pathbreaking book, meticulously researched, it brings the most famous Hindi-Urdu writer of the early twentieth century bang into current debates on translation and world literature. A must for students of translation studies, comparative literature and world literature.'

- Francesca Orsini, Professor of Hindi and South Asian Literature, School of Oriental and African Studies, London

'Premchand in World Languages tells a captivating story about the uneven fortunes of an Indian vernacular author on the global stage, offering startling insight into the creation of national literary culture in colonial and post-colonial India, and the currency of world literature in its many avatars (including in television and film). M. Asaduddin has assembled a rich array of contributions that treat translation as a dynamic, multidirectional negotiation. Together these articles demonstrate how Premchand's popularity in Russian vs. Spanish, German or French reveals as much about the shifting ideological commitments of the home audience itself as the quality of the source text or the translated versions, and likewise force us to question the terms we should use when the "translation" is never called that as such but skillfully mediates political differences and artistic visions both nationally and internationally. This volume promises to edify both specialists of South Asia and non-specialists alike, especially anyone interested in the complex circulations of world literature.'

- Christi A. Merrill

, Associate Professor of South Asian Literature and Postcolonial Theory, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

'A valuable contribution to Premchand studies in general, this anthology is an important intervention in the field of translation studies. It will interest scholars and researchers of comparative literature, cultural studies and film studies.'

- The Sunday Statesman