Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra
Book by Ruskin Bond
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra is a collection of fourteen semi-autobiographical stories written by Ruskin Bond.[1] The book largely discusses the author's childhood experiences in Dehradun, India, although the setting differs between stories. It was published in 1991.[1] In recognition of this book, Bond was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992.[2]
First edition | |
| Author | Ruskin Bond |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Short stories |
| Published | 1991 |
| Publisher | Penguin India |
| Publication place | India |
| ISBN | 9780140169027 |
| OCLC | 26361931 |
Summaries
As this is a publication of several independent short stories, several distinct and largely unrelated plots occur in each.
Escape from Java is war fiction about a nine year old boy's escape from the island of Java during the Japanese invasion, sometime during World War II.[3]
The Bent-Double Beggar revolves around the narrator's encounter with Genpat, a beggar with a crooked back. He provides a story for what gave him the disability, as well as an assorted collection of proverbial teachings.
Untouchable is a very short account of a ten year old boy's fear of insects and a brief moment of friendship he shares with an "untouchable". Bond wrote this story when he was sixteen.[1]: 27
Calypso Christmas is a story that takes place in London when the author invites an acquaintance from Trinidad to celebrate the holiday with him. Unexpectedly, his guest also brings a lively group of friends and relatives transforming an otherwise bleak holiday into a lively and colorful party.[4]
Reception
As per India Today, "Like Dom Moraes, Bond is completely at ease with British-English idiom: he describes descending train passengers as 'debouching'. Yet his precise and reflective prose is closer to Jim Corbett's in being more homegrown: he speaks of khuds, langurs and rustic Pahadi friends."[5]