The very name Khushwant Singh conjures up the image of an untidily dressed, flirtatious sardar, fortified with scotch, and surrounded by a bevy of wannable women writers and socialites. The lay reader believes him to be an extremely superficial and frivolous man, who has a penchant for getting into soups due to his unrestrained opinions on disputable topics. They feel that neither he nor his writings ought to be taken seriously. The result is that when the merit of the works of Khushwant Singh are mentioned, it is usually taken with a pinch of salt. Is this true? Is this all there is to Khushwant Singh? Then who is the creator of such masterpieces as: the award winning Train to Pakistan, Delhi, Religion of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh – the saviour, My bleeding Punjab, Punjab’s tragic story, Need for a new religion in India and other essays, Indira Gandhi returns, and the incomparable masterpiece. A history of the Sikhs, vol. I and vol. II? Khushwant Singh has written more than 72 books till date. His latest novel, The company of women was published in 1999, and his autobiography, Truth, love and a little malice is awaiting release. In the field of fiction he has written 34 short stories and 4 novels. One is unable to relate the above-mentioned persona with the writer of these numerous serious and scholarly works. Due to this wide discrepancy it is essential to establish the actual fact as opposed to the media created fiction around Khushwant Singh. And this is what this book seeks to do: by examining all his short stories and novels, as well as some non-fictional writings from a critical standpoint. And finally, the book makes an attempt to gain an insight into the psyche of one of the most popular, prolific, and controversial writers of the sub-continent.
There are no reviews yet.