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_askthebookbug 's review for:
For Now, It Is Night: Stories
by Hari Krishna Kaul
I’ve been trying to read more of short stories and surprisingly, this is the third collection I’ve read in the last two months. Hari Krishna Kaul’s For Now, It Is Night paints a vivid picture of Kashmir spanning across the decades. This collection of 17 stories was selected by his niece Kalpana Raina who sought out expert help from Tanveer Ajsi, Gowhar Fazili and Gowhar Yaqoob in having them translated. Kashmir and its troubled history has been written by various authors but what sets it apart is the nuanced and metaphorical manner in which Kaul writes. He highlights the mundanity of the people who live in this beautiful land, at times of friends and of growing hostilities. But more than anything, Kaul lets you read in between the lines to understand what he’s truly trying to say.
These 17 short stories capture the lives of people pre and post exodus. We see people displaced, now living in cities but unable to find peace without their motherland beneath their feet. We see aged parents abandoned or neglected by their children who move abroad or to metropolitan cities. We watch friends turn into enemies as the exodus nears. It almost feels like you’re seeing two sides of a coin. We see friendships spanning generations but some breaking easily as tensions rise between Hindus and Muslims. We see an old woman moving to Delhi to be in a non-Muslim society only to miss the land she grew up on. Kaul captures fragile emotions of ordinary people brilliantly.
Kaul leaves many stories to our imagination. He pushes us to read between the lines, to understand the gentle truth of humans and dissect the meaning that they carry. And he does so gracefully. The translation is quite good too. My favourite ones were A Late Winter in which see a father worried about his son who has moved abroad. He misses his son but also misses his homeland that he had to leave during the exodus. Other favourites were Sunshine, woes of an old lady trying to adjust to the modern times and The Lights on the Other Side which captures the hostility between two religions.
Bonus points for the wonderful cover. I recommend this. Thank you for the copy @harpercollinsin ✨
These 17 short stories capture the lives of people pre and post exodus. We see people displaced, now living in cities but unable to find peace without their motherland beneath their feet. We see aged parents abandoned or neglected by their children who move abroad or to metropolitan cities. We watch friends turn into enemies as the exodus nears. It almost feels like you’re seeing two sides of a coin. We see friendships spanning generations but some breaking easily as tensions rise between Hindus and Muslims. We see an old woman moving to Delhi to be in a non-Muslim society only to miss the land she grew up on. Kaul captures fragile emotions of ordinary people brilliantly.
Kaul leaves many stories to our imagination. He pushes us to read between the lines, to understand the gentle truth of humans and dissect the meaning that they carry. And he does so gracefully. The translation is quite good too. My favourite ones were A Late Winter in which see a father worried about his son who has moved abroad. He misses his son but also misses his homeland that he had to leave during the exodus. Other favourites were Sunshine, woes of an old lady trying to adjust to the modern times and The Lights on the Other Side which captures the hostility between two religions.
Bonus points for the wonderful cover. I recommend this. Thank you for the copy @harpercollinsin ✨