Godan (The Gift of a Cow) follows Hori, a poor peasant in colonial north India whose deepest wish is to own a cow, a symbol of prosperity and dignity. Through Hori and his family, Premchand draws the entire web of village exploitation: moneylenders, landlords, priests, and the urban world that surrounds and consumes the rural poor. The novel is widely considered the greatest Hindi novel of the twentieth century and the most complete portrait of pre-independence rural India in literature.
What Works
Hori is one of the great characters of world literature. Premchand never sentimentalizes his subjects, and the cumulative weight of the novel is immense.
What May Not Work
The pace is unhurried by modern standards, and the cast of characters takes patience to keep straight.