Sunday, June 23, 2002		Books

Delightful assortment of stories
Priyanka Singh

Selected Fiction
by Manoj Das. Penguin India. Pages 349. Rs 250.

MANOJ Das is an accomplished writer whose love for details is unmistakable. He has won several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shri and the country's most coveted one for creative writing, the Saraswati Samman.Besides these, his stories have featured in a large number of international publications and journals.

With such enviable achievements and a talent to match, it is no mean feat when Graham Greene says about his work,‘‘Manoj Das...(will) take a place on my bookshelves beside the stories of Narayan.’’

Das’ literary skills are evident in his latest work, Selected Fiction, which is an assortment of 28 delightful stories, each competing to be the best. you have to give it to him, all succeed. He whips up stories with dexterity and throws in characters effortlessly with a skill that is amazingly masterly and an imagination that is truly superior.

The Crocodile's Lady is about a learned sociologist from the West who doesn't know what to make of the legendary tale of a crocodile marrying a girl and coming back for her when she is unable to return. His bewilderment grows when he is actually taken to meet the 70-year-old crocodile lady.

The Owl is an ironic tale about a zamindar’s son who kills a much revered temple owl which is looked upon as a supernatural presence.Villagers spell doom for him saying untold suffering would descend upon him. His health begins to ebb and he dies. The owl is, however, later found to be alive!

The Naked is an amusing account of a faithful scion of hereditary ‘‘senapatis,’’ ever so deferential to the Rajmata. Only this time around he doesn't quite know how to comply with her wish to receive a group of nudists, scheduled to arrive at the summer palace for a conference.

Avani is a prototype politician in The Assault who tries to pass off the injuries he received from a goat as an assault by his rivals. He does this to conceal his embarrassment and score over his opponents.

In the Mystery of the Missing Cap, a monkey steals a minister's cap and changes the lives of two enterprising politicians forever.

This collection also comprises a remarkable novella, The Tiger At Twilight, which is as intriguing a story as the times it is set in. Its focus is on a Raja who has been asked to forsake his title and claims; his frail and ailing daughter; his beautiful wife who has held him in thrall; Dev ,the suitor; and a man-eating tiger.

All the stories are written with an insight into human nature that makes this book enchanting.