A Khushwant Singh short story is not flamboyant but modest, restrained, well-crafted Perhaps his greatest gift as a writer is a wonderful particularity of description London Magazine Khushwant Singh first established his reputation as a writer through the short story. His stories wry, poignant, erotic and, above all, human bear testimony to Khushwant Singh s remarkable range and his ability to create an unforgettable PBI - World. Spanning over half a century, this volume contains all the short stories Khushwant Singh has ever written, including the delightfully tongue-in-cheek The Maharani of Chootiapuram , written in 2008. Khushwant s stories enthrall [He has]an ability akin to that of Somerset Maugham the ability to entertain intelligently PBI - India Today His stories are better than [those of] any PBI - Indian writing in English Times of PBI - India The Collected Short Stories leaves the reader in a delightful, inebriated trance Sunday Chronicle He is not an ordinary short story writer [Collected Stories] is delightful reading Hindustan Times