What do you think?
Rate this book
पांच एब्सर्ड उपन्यस
Hardcover
First published December 1, 1971
About the author
नरेंद्र कोहली, Narendra Kohli
114 books105 followersPadmashree Narendra Kohli is one of the most eminent and well-known Hindi writers of our times. His novel based on the Ram-Katha, Abhyuday, shifted the course of Hindi novel-writing. Another of his novels, Mahasamar, based on the Pandava-katha went on to become just as popular. His novel-series, Todo Kara Todo is considered the greatest and foremost novel in any language on the life of Swami Vivekananda. Abhigyan, Vasudev, Sharnam, Aatmaswikriti, Varunaputri, Sagar-Manthan, Ahalya etc. are his other well-known works. Apart from the Padmashree, he has also been awarded the Hindi Akademi award; Delhi Salaka Samman; Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthaan award; Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Samman, Lucknow; K.K. Birla Foundation award; Vyasa Samman, New Delhi; Madhya Pradesh government and Bhopal’s Maithili Sharan Gupt Rashtriya Samman, among numerous other honours.
डॉ॰ नरेन्द्र कोहली (जन्म ६ जनवरी १९४०, निधन १७ अप्रैल २०२१, चैत्र शुक्ल पंचमी, नवरात्रि) प्रसिद्ध हिन्दी साहित्यकार हैं। उन्होंने साहित्य के सभी प्रमुख विधाओं (यथा उपन्यास, व्यंग्य, नाटक, कहानी) एवं गौण विधाओं (यथा संस्मरण, निबंध, पत्र आदि) और आलोचनात्मक साहित्य में अपनी लेखनी चलाई है। उन्होंने शताधिक श्रेष्ठ ग्रंथों का सृजन किया है। हिन्दी साहित्य में 'महाकाव्यात्मक उपन्यास' की विधा को प्रारंभ करने का श्रेय नरेंद्र कोहली को ही जाता है। पौराणिक एवं ऐतिहासिक चरित्रों की गुत्थियों को सुलझाते हुए उनके माध्यम से आधुनिक सामाज की समस्याओं एवं उनके समाधान को समाज के समक्ष प्रस्तुत करना कोहली की अन्यतम विशेषता है। कोहलीजी सांस्कृतिक राष्ट्रवादी साहित्यकार हैं, जिन्होंने अपनी रचनाओं के माध्यम से भारतीय जीवन-शैली एवं दर्शन का सम्यक् परिचय करवाया है। जनवरी, २०१७ में उन्हें पद्मश्री से सम्मानित किया गया।
डॉ॰ नरेन्द्र कोहली (जन्म ६ जनवरी १९४०, निधन १७ अप्रैल २०२१, चैत्र शुक्ल पंचमी, नवरात्रि) प्रसिद्ध हिन्दी साहित्यकार हैं। उन्होंने साहित्य के सभी प्रमुख विधाओं (यथा उपन्यास, व्यंग्य, नाटक, कहानी) एवं गौण विधाओं (यथा संस्मरण, निबंध, पत्र आदि) और आलोचनात्मक साहित्य में अपनी लेखनी चलाई है। उन्होंने शताधिक श्रेष्ठ ग्रंथों का सृजन किया है। हिन्दी साहित्य में 'महाकाव्यात्मक उपन्यास' की विधा को प्रारंभ करने का श्रेय नरेंद्र कोहली को ही जाता है। पौराणिक एवं ऐतिहासिक चरित्रों की गुत्थियों को सुलझाते हुए उनके माध्यम से आधुनिक सामाज की समस्याओं एवं उनके समाधान को समाज के समक्ष प्रस्तुत करना कोहली की अन्यतम विशेषता है। कोहलीजी सांस्कृतिक राष्ट्रवादी साहित्यकार हैं, जिन्होंने अपनी रचनाओं के माध्यम से भारतीय जीवन-शैली एवं दर्शन का सम्यक् परिचय करवाया है। जनवरी, २०१७ में उन्हें पद्मश्री से सम्मानित किया गया।
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 14, 2014
I have known Narendra Kohli primarily through his retelling of Mahabharat and his biographical work on Swami Vivekanand. Somehow I never caught on to the fact that he is also a satirist.
This book consists of 5 pieces which are of shot story length but cover the narrative span of a novel. They are called "The College", "Aspatal" (hospital), "The Life", "Shafa Dene Vaale" (those who give health) and "Mohalla" (neighborhood).
It is not uncommon to find elements of absurd in any satire, ex-aggregation is often employed in creative form by all satirists, but here the very nature of narrative is absurd. It is an experiment and out of the 5 pieces here, it works brilliantly in the one called "Aspatal". "Shafa dene vaale" is okish and "Mohalla" is a bit too long thus lacking the tightness. The other two, "College" and "The Life" are also quite enjoyable. Specially loved the expressions author uses to qualify almost all dialogs with, in contrast to good writing advice in English (Typical good advice for writing dialogs seems to be to stick with say, speak, cry etc and let the dialogs themselves bring out the expression, mode). For example, someone asks a question as "children ask their mother if they should stop a street vendor selling icecream".
This book consists of 5 pieces which are of shot story length but cover the narrative span of a novel. They are called "The College", "Aspatal" (hospital), "The Life", "Shafa Dene Vaale" (those who give health) and "Mohalla" (neighborhood).
It is not uncommon to find elements of absurd in any satire, ex-aggregation is often employed in creative form by all satirists, but here the very nature of narrative is absurd. It is an experiment and out of the 5 pieces here, it works brilliantly in the one called "Aspatal". "Shafa dene vaale" is okish and "Mohalla" is a bit too long thus lacking the tightness. The other two, "College" and "The Life" are also quite enjoyable. Specially loved the expressions author uses to qualify almost all dialogs with, in contrast to good writing advice in English (Typical good advice for writing dialogs seems to be to stick with say, speak, cry etc and let the dialogs themselves bring out the expression, mode). For example, someone asks a question as "children ask their mother if they should stop a street vendor selling icecream".
April 22, 2026
Absurdist Satire & dark humour.
Why did I pick this book? It was easily available online.
In the introduction, author tells how these novellas had come about - as a coping mechanism to a great personal tragedy.
It made me think. Of course, writing must have helped the author.
Was it failure of the technical/ administrative machinery that led to the extreme loss & trauma for author & his hamily? Or was it a situation which the scince & technology of the day & age were not advanced enough to handle?
The 2nd is more of chance/ misfortune. The 1st calls for reform. Which is simply not available in this country, 50 years after the publication of this book. I am currently reading "Why the Poor Don't Kill Us" by Manu Joseph, which grapples with the question, & acknowledges the good fortune of the 9% & notes that almost never does a revolution take place in India demanding the basic amenities the lack of which leads to loss of life.
But we will return to THIS book.
Is it funny? In places.
Insightful? No. there's nothing in it that I did not know before.
Cathartic? I won't know. I am upper middle class, after all ... I have things thought-out & provided for & the PRIVILEGE to have simply done so. But if I didn't , would this book make me feel understood, redeemed, empathic to the characters? I don't think so. The characters are as much caricaturized as the "system"...
I most enjoyed "The life", & then "the college". "aspataal" is the most heart-wrenching. I left "mohallaa" in the middle because it was too crass for my taste, the jokes were unrelateable & anyway there is no plot.
Why did I pick this book? It was easily available online.
In the introduction, author tells how these novellas had come about - as a coping mechanism to a great personal tragedy.
It made me think. Of course, writing must have helped the author.
Was it failure of the technical/ administrative machinery that led to the extreme loss & trauma for author & his hamily? Or was it a situation which the scince & technology of the day & age were not advanced enough to handle?
The 2nd is more of chance/ misfortune. The 1st calls for reform. Which is simply not available in this country, 50 years after the publication of this book. I am currently reading "Why the Poor Don't Kill Us" by Manu Joseph, which grapples with the question, & acknowledges the good fortune of the 9% & notes that almost never does a revolution take place in India demanding the basic amenities the lack of which leads to loss of life.
But we will return to THIS book.
Is it funny? In places.
Insightful? No. there's nothing in it that I did not know before.
Cathartic? I won't know. I am upper middle class, after all ... I have things thought-out & provided for & the PRIVILEGE to have simply done so. But if I didn't , would this book make me feel understood, redeemed, empathic to the characters? I don't think so. The characters are as much caricaturized as the "system"...
I most enjoyed "The life", & then "the college". "aspataal" is the most heart-wrenching. I left "mohallaa" in the middle because it was too crass for my taste, the jokes were unrelateable & anyway there is no plot.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews