India, June 5 -- A curation of 30 of the finest short stories that capture the essence of the Punjabi spirit, The Greatest Punjabi Stories Ever Told collates stories across four generations of writers and covers the period from the Partition to the pandemic. Renuka Singh and Balbir Madhopuri have done a fine job of bringing excellent translations to contemporary consciousness and giving voice to both established and emerging writers.

While those unfamiliar with the history of Punjab might imagine that stories from the state would feature an idyllic pastoral life, this collection will quickly disabuse them of the notion. Turns out the "simple life" is rife with the horrors of war, social injustice and oppression. In these stories set agai...