A River On Fire
This bouquet of short stories presents a true-to-life picture of the society before us. Instead of an imagined world, the storyteller through these stories offers a slice of life, a down-to-earth scenario in which the reader finds himself involved unknowingly.The writer having a good understanding of basic human feelings brings them out dexterously in these tales on divergent issues. These fine, tumultuous, powerful and heartfelt sagas are not just stories; these are experiences. Reading them, the reader does not remain solely an observer; he becomes a part of them. The stories open a world of fallacy, malice and maladjustment, and take him directly to it. This is the world that is already known to him, but he very often chooses to close his eyes to it. Brimming with unlikely and colourful characters, the tales offer a fine blend of irony and humanity, with some of them replete with heart-warming humour. The world of the storyteller has the fullness of human psyche, with its dreams, passions, awe and wonder. Despite the ambience of fantasy, hardcore realism, quandaries and predicament underline his stories.About the Authors: Jasvinder Sharma was born on December 16, 1958. He is a seasoned writer, who as written a number of books. His first book was Jasvinder Sharma ke Muntkhib Afsane, a collection of short stories in Urdu. After that a number of books of short stories, satire and poetry flowed from his pen. Main hi Makhan Khayo won him the first prize from Sahitya Akademi, Haryana in 2005. In 2006, the author was honoured with the Shara Katha Prize by Mr Shekhawat, the then Vice President of India. He also won the second prize in a short story competition organised in 2007 by North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, which included over 400 entries from five states. Many of his works have been published in various leading national dailies and magazines, such as The Pioneer, Hindustan, Navbharat Times, The Tribune, The Telegraph, Sahara Times, Jansatta, Indian Horizons, Outlook, The Sunday Indian, Kadambini, and many more. This is his first book in English.
