Literary works

Premchand has written about 300 short stories, several novels as well as many essays and letters. He has also written some plays. He also did some translations. Many of Premchands stories have been translated into English and Russian.Godaan (The Gift of a Cow), his last novel, is considered the finest Hindi novel of all times.The hero, Hori, a poor peasant, desperately longs for a cow, a symbol of wealth and prestige in rural India. Hori gets a cow but pays with his life for it. After his death, the village priests demand a cow from his widow to bring his soul to peace.In Kafan (Shroud), a poor man collects money for the funeral rites of his dead wife, but spends it on food and drink.