Selected Short Stories is an anthology of some of Rabindranath Tagore’s best short stories. Translated into English, they showcase the wide-range of interests of one of the greatest literary figures of our times. Summary Of The Book Selected Short Stories presents to the readers a collection of Tagore’s most popular short stories, translated into English by a few of his associates and admirers like E. V. Thompson, Sister Nivedita, Pannalall Basu, C. F. Andrews and Prabhat Kumar Mukherji. Tagore is perhaps one of the greatest storytellers of our times, and has fantastically portrayed the functioning of the human mind through a set of 13 chosen short stories. Some of the stories in Selected Short Stories are The Hungry Stones, Living or Dead? and The Cabuliwallah. The Hungry Stones is a story that talks about a supposedly supernatural encounter. Set in the late 19th century on a train in Eastern India, the narrator describes his journey back to Calcutta from a religious pilgrimage. On the train, the narrator and his friend, meet a strange man who can speak intelligently on any subject, even the most mundane one. Impressed by his in-depth knowledge, the narrator’s friend begins to believe that the man must be receiving inspiration from the supernatural or an astral body. The strange man then tells him a story so bizarre, that the narrator feels it is just a figment of the man’s imagination. Living or Dead? is a story divided into four parts, that takes the reader on a journey of betrayal, love, and superstitions. It is the story of a young widow named Kadambini, who turns into a dreaded ghost from the once loving and caring aunt that she was. The Cabuliwallah is the touching story of a middle-aged Afghani fruit-seller, who comes to Calcutta to sell his merchandise. He befriends Mini, a small Bengali girl, who reminds him of his daughter back in his home country. A few of the other stories in Selected Short Stories are The Victory, Once There Was A King, The Kingdom Of Cards, The Babus Of Nayanjore and We Crown Thee King. About Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore was an internationally acclaimed poet and author. A few of his works are Gitanjali, Nastanirh, Ghare Baire and Jivansmriti. Tagore’s writings are famous for their lyrical, rhythmic and optimistic nature with political and personal themes. Most of his stories feature common people. Tagore was born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta. He studied at a public school in East Sussex, England, and briefly studied Law at University College London. Discontinuing his studies there, he chose to study Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Religio Medici, and Antony and Cleopatra. He is credited with being the first non-European winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Two of his compositions have been chosen as the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. In his lifetime, he had composed more than 2230 songs that are known as Rabindra Sangeet.