Munshi Premchand Books

Munshi Premchand (July 31, 1880 – October 8, 1936)

Munshi Premchand was born in 1880 in a small village near Varanasi, India. His mother passed away when he was only seven years old, and his father died when he was in his mid-teens. Per the local custom, Munshi became responsible for his stepmother and siblings, as well as the wife he’d had since age 14. His marriage ended in 1899; he remarried a widow in 1906, despite the fact that it was frowned upon to do so.

Munshi taught school at a mission in Chunar. He didn’t make much money. He eventually was transferred to a government school as assistant master near Allahabad. He was promoted to headmaster in 1902. In 1904, he was made deputy sub-inspector of schools.

He started writing while living in Allahabad, beginning with short stories in the Urdu language. His first novella was published in a weekly paper, the Awaz-e-Khalq. He later wrote columns for an Urdu magazine.

His writing gained in popularity, and soon he was recognized not only as an entertainer, but a journalist. He was deeply involved in the freedom movement to make India independent of Britain. His collection of short stories, Soz-e-Watan, was considered rebellious when it was published in 1910. The British government confiscated the book and destroyed every copy they could find. Munshi had been writing under the pen name of Nawabrai at that time; he began using his real name.

Munshi has been credited with using realism in Hindi literature. Before this time, it had consisted mainly of fairy tales, fantasy, and religious texts. In 1921, he followed Ghandi’s suggestion and quit his government job to support the independence movement. He took a job at a printing press, eventually becoming the proprietor. He also edited for Urdu and Hindi journals. Even though he had attained fame for his writing, it failed to support him financially.

Munshi developed a reputation as a great thinker and social reformer. His stories were based on real situations, and contained social messages about poverty, colonialism, communism, traditional issues like dowry, and corruption. He wrote over 300 novels, short stories and plays. He also published several essays. Many of his writings have been translated into English over the years.

Munshi’s first novel, Godaan, has been ranked as one of the best novels of its era, and remains in print to this day. He used literature as a powerful medium for education. In later life, he attended conferences, seminars and other literary gatherings, attracting quite a crowd. In 1936, he chaired the first all-India conference for the Indian Progressive Writer’s Association. He never did make a lot financially, and his health was weak for a good portion of his life. He died before he could complete his last novel.