Ghanshyam Desai (1934–2010)  was a modernist, experimental short story writer. He was born and brought up in the small principality of Devgadh-Baria, now in Gujarat. Desai was at first, assistant editor and later editor of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Samarpan magazine. When Samarpanmerged with Navneet and became Navneet Samarpan, he became its editor in 1980 and worked there till his retirement. His much-loved children’s story collection, Maulik Katha Mala received the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi Award.

Desai’s short story collection Tolu (1977) was given an award by the Government of Gujarat. His second short story collection, Bandh Barna, was posthumously published in 2014 to great acclaim.

About the translators

Aban Mukherji is a freelance writer and translator. She has a master’s degree in History. 
Tulsi Vatsal, a graduate of Oxford University, is an independent researcher, writer and editor. They have co-translated a number of books from Gujarati into English

Their translation of Dukhi Dadiba and the Irony of Fate has been shortlisted for the Valley of Words translation awards.