The first substantive English translation of the Gujarati short story pioneer, Dhumketu (1892–1965.) The first book-length Gujarati to English translation published in the US.
Pronunciation guide: “shehnai” = “shay-huh-naa-yi”; “Dhumketu” = “dhoom-kay-tu”; “Gujarati” = “Gu-juh-raa-ti”
“Dhumketu is a wonderfully gripping storyteller . . . Bhatt has certainly done him justice in this excellent selection.” ~JENNIFER CROFT, translator of The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
“The translator . . . follows each dip and tremor in the narrative flow with practised ease and linguistic flair . . .” ~N KALYAN RAMAN, translator of The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan
“. . . a love letter to the power of art and the human spirit . . . These stories invite readers to rediscover the wonder in the quotidian.” ~KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Complex characters, vibrant imagery, and descriptions of rural Gujarat State bolster each of the stories. Readers are in for a treat.” ~PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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Jenny Bhatt is a writer, literary translator, and book critic. She is the founder of Desi Books and teaches creative writing at Writing Workshops Dallas. The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories by Dhumketu is Bhatt’s latest literary translation, out in the US in July 2022. Her debut story collection, Each of Us Killers: Stories (7.13 Books; Sep 2020) was a 2020 Foreword INDIES award winner. One of her stories was included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 anthology. Her literary translation, Ratno Dholi: Dhumketu’s Best Short Stories (HarperCollins India; Oct 2020) was shortlisted for the 2021 PFC-VoW Book Awards. Her writing has appeared in various venues including The Atlantic, NPR, BBC Culture, The Washington Post, and more. FULL BIO.
Photo Credit: Praveen Ahuja
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