ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Premchand, the iconic Indian writer, belongs to the literary culture and tradition of two language literatures, namely, Urdu and Hindi, and pioneered modern fiction writing in them. He divested fiction's preoccupation with romance and fantasy in the two languages and gave them the hard texture of realism. The peasant characters and the tenor of daily life in villages and small towns depicted in his novels and short stories still continue to be the talking point for both writers and historians and sociologists. The way he represented the life worlds of peasants and their ethos has still remained unrivalled in the two languages he wrote in, particularly Urdu. The practice of a particular brand of realism which he somewhat tautologically calls idealistic realism and the anti-imperialist thrust of his works provide different axes of entry into his work attracting both translators and critics alike.
