Premchand wrote over three hundred short stories and fourteen novels, many essays and letters, plays and translations.[58] Many of Premchand's works were translated into English and Russian after his death.
Novels
| Hindi title | Urdu title | Publisher | Date | Length (pages) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devasthan Rahasya | Asrar-e-Ma'abid | Awaz-e-Khalk (serial form) | 8 October 1903 – February 1905 | 116 | English translation of the title: The Mystery of God's Abode. |
| Prema | Hamkhurma-o-Hamsavab | Indian Press/Hindustan Publishing House | 1907 | Amrit Rai overcomes social opposition to marrying the young widow, Poorna, giving up his rich and beautiful fiancé Prema. (Penned under the name "Babu Nawab Rai Banarsi"). | |
| Kishna | Medical Hall Press, Banaras | 1907 | 142 | Now lost; satirises women's fondness for jewellery. | |
| Roothi Rani | Zamana (serial form) | April–August 1907 | |||
| Soz-e-Watan | Publishers of Zamana | 1907, 1909 | Banned by the British Government in 1909. | ||
| Vardaan | Jalwa-e-Isar | Granth Bhandar and Dhanju | 1912 | 128 | Vardan ("Boon") is about Pratap Chandra and Brij Rani, two childhood neighbours who like each other. Brij marries another man and becomes a famous poet after being widowed. Her friend Madhvi starts liking Pratap after hearing about him from Brij. Pratap becomes a sadhu, and Madhvi becomes his devotee. |
| Seva Sadan | Bazaar-e-Husn | Calcutta Pustak Agency (Hindi) | 1919 (Hindi), 1924 (Urdu) | 280 | An unhappy housewife first becomes a courtesan and then manages an orphanage for the young daughters of the courtesans. |
| Premashram | Gosha-e-Afiyat | 1922 | |||
| Rangbhoomi | Chaugan-e-Hasti | Darul Ishaat (Urdu, 1935) | 1924 | English title: Playground. | |
| Nirmala | Nirmala | Idaara-e-Furoogh-Urdu | 1925 | 156 | English title: The Second Wife. About the dowry system in India (serialised in the magazine Chand between November 1921 and November 1926, before being published as a novel). |
| Kaayakalp | Parda-i-Majaz | Lajpat Rai & Sons, Lahore (Urdu) | 1926 (Hindi), 1934 (Urdu) | 440 | |
| Pratigya | Bewa | 1927 | Deals with widow remarriage. | ||
| Gaban | Ghaban | Saraswati Press, Banaras; Lajpatrai & Sons, Urdu Bazaar | 1931 | 248 | Gaban is a novel that portrays the moral decline of Ramanath, a hero who succumbs to the temptation of embezzlement. The novel highlights themes of greed, morality, and societal expectations. |
| Karmabhoomi | Maidan-e-Amal | Maktaba Jamia, Delhi | 1932 | 340 | Set in 1930, this masterpiece by Premchand talks about the unity of Hindus and Muslim and their exploitation by the British which eventually resulted in partition much later. |
| Godaan | Saraswati Press | 1936 | 344 | English title: The Gift of a Cow. It is themed around the socio-economic deprivation as well as the exploitation of the village poor. | |
| Mangalsootra (incomplete) | Hindustan Publishing House | 1936 | Premchand completed only the first four chapters (around 70 pages) of this novel.[59] |
Short stories
Several of Premchand's stories have been published in a number of collections, including the 8-volume Mansarovar (1900–1936). Some of his stories include:
| Title | Publisher | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Jihad" (Hindi) | premchand's story collection "Mansarovar" part-7 story#14 173-180[60] | A story on how extremist education destroys the harmony of society. A vivid description by Premchand of social issues in the 1920s | |
| "Lekhak" (Hindi)
"Adeeb ki Izat" (Urdu) |
A story of a writer who wanted respect and recognition for his work but later realised that he is a candle that will have to burn, giving light to others. | ||
| "Duniya ka Sabse Anmol Ratan" | Zamana | 1907 | The title means "The Most Precious Jewel in the World", which, according to the story, is the drop of the blood necessary for the nation's independence. |
| "Bade Bhai Sahab" | Zamana | 1910 (December) | A story of two brothers, their conflict, resolution and understanding. |
| "Beti ka Dhan" | Zamana | 1915 (November) | It is the story about Sukkhu Chaudhri, a farmer who was helped by his daughter, Gangajali, by selling her jewellery to help her father pay his debts. |
| "Saut" | Sarasvati (Vol. 16, Part 2, No. 6, 353–359) | 1915 (December) | The title means "Co-Wife". |
| "Sajjanata ka Dand" | Sarasvati | 1916 (March) | The title means "The Penalty for Integrity". |
| "Panch Parameshvar" | Sarasvati | 1916 (June) | A friendship is marred when one friend delivers a verdict against the other. The story narrates how they reunite as friends. |
| "Ishwariya Nyaya" | Sarasvati | 1917 (July) | The title means "The Divine Law". |
| "Beton Wali Vidhwa" | Sarasvati | 1920 (July) | |
| "Durga ka Mandir" | Sarasvati | 1917 (December) | The title means "The Temple of Durga". |
| "Maa" | Sarasvati | 1921 (November) | The title means "Mother". |
| "Ghar Jamai" | Sarasvati | 1933 (June) | |
| "Dhikkar" | Sarasvati | 1925 (May) | |
| "Dil ki Rani" | Sarasvati | 1926 (December) | |
| "Gulli Danda" | Sarasvati | 1925 (May) | Gulli Danda was a very popular sport in rural India; it was played with a stick and a smaller ‘puck’ of stick’, somewhat similar to cricket.
The story is about a man who goes back to his village and tries to play Gulli Danda with his old friends. However, the disparity between their economic and social status does not allow a fair game. |
| "Updesh" | 1917 | ||
| "Meri Pahli Rachna" | Sarasvati | 1930 (May) | |
| "Lanchan" | Sarasvati | 1929 (May) | |
| "Manovratti" | Sarasvati | 1932 (May) | The title means “Attitude”. In the story, various people misjudge the intentions of a young woman lying in the park. The end reveals their attitudes and prejudices had completely failed them. |
| "Balidan" | Sarasvati | 1918 (May) | The title means "Sacrifice". |
| "Putra Prem" | Sarasvati | 1920 (July) | The title means "Love of a Son". |
| "Boodhi Kaki" | Hans | 1921 | The title means "The Old Aunt". A story of an old woman who craves love from her family. |
| "Pariksha" | Chand | 1923 (January) | The title means "The Test". Its background is the Nadir Shah's invasion and sack of Delhi. |
| "Shatranj ke Khiladi" (Hindi)"Shatranj ki Bazi" (Urdu) | Madhuri | October 1924 | Two aristocrats—Mirza Sajjad Ali and Mir Roshan Ali—lived in the kingdom of Awadh during the times of the British Raj. Both of them are careless towards their duties and spend their days playing chess. Their love for the game is so immense that even when the ruler of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, is captured by the British, they continue playing chess. In the end, a move in the game sparks a verbal conflict between them, and they end up killing each other with their swords. |
| "Hinsa Parmo Dharma" | Madhuri | 1926 (December) | |
| "Ghasvali" | Madhuri | 1929 (December) | |
| "Idgah" | Chand | 1933 (August) | A poor boy in India lives with his grandmother. On the festival day of Eid, the other kids buy themselves candies and toys. The poor boy, thinking of his grandmother, buys a pair of tongs to help her make rotis since she burns her hands trying to cook them bare-handed. |
| "Nashaa" | Chand | 1934 (February) | Two friends from different strata of society study away from their homes. The story explores class disparity and aspirations in their friendship. It has an autobiographical touch. |
| "Kafan" | Jamia | 1936 | A low-caste father and his son are poor labourers in a village. An emergency occurs when the son's wife dies while giving birth to a child, and the family has no money to cremate the body of the dead woman. The lazy duo ask for money from the village Zamindar and other members of the society. However, they use the money they get on liquor and food instead. |
| "Cricket Match" | Zamana | 1937 | Published posthumously. |
| "Gupt Dhan" | Haridas, a man of character, owns a brick factory. He loses his character when he gets a map of a hereditary treasure of a worker, but eventually dies as a punishment of god. | ||
| "Mantra" | The selfishness of a rich doctor named Chaddha results in the death of a patient. The same patient's father selflessly cures Dr. Chaddha's son when the doctor meets the same sort of situation. | ||
| "Namak ka Daroga" | 1925 (May) | The title means "The Salt Inspector". An idealist becomes a police officer and faces problems while performing his duties. | |
| "Poos ki Raat"[61] | Madhuri | 1930 (May) | The title means "A night of the Poos month (Winter)". A poor farmer stays out with his dog to protect his field on an extremely cold December night. |
| "Lottery" | Zamana | It is a story of an Indian family in which every member bought a ticket for a 1 million rupees worth lottery. After some time, they began to fight over what they would do if anyone won the lottery, but at last, neither from their home nor even town, state, or country won the lottery but someone from America did. | |
| "Vidhwans" | The title means "Catastrophe". An old widow with no children is engulfed in a fire caused by the owner of the village intentionally, and therefore, the pandit pays for the price. | ||
| "Kazaki" | A story of love, adoration and friendship between a little boy and Kazaki, a poor but cheerful and jolly man who used to work under his father. |
Other stories include:
- "Abhushan"
- "Agni Samadhi"
- "Alagyojha"
- "Amrit"
- "Atmaram"
- "Bade Ghar ki Beti" (1926)
- "Bhoot" (1926)
- "Chori"
- "Daroga Sahab"
- "Devi"
- "Dhaai ser Gehun"
- "Dikri ke Rupaye"
- "Do Bahanein"
- "Do Sakhiyan" (1926)
- "Do Bailon ki Katha"
- "Do Kabren" (1920)
- "Doodh ka Damm" (1910)
- "Gilli danda"
- "Grihaneeti"
- "Gurumantra" (1927)
- "Har ki Jeet" (1925)
- "Jail" (1931)
- "Jihad"
- "Juloos" (1930)
- "Jurmana"
- "Khudai Fauzdaar"
- "Mahatirtha"
- "Manushya ka Param Dharma" (March 1920)
- "Maryada ki Vedi"
- "Mukti Marg" (1922)
- "Muktidhan" (1921)
- "Mamta" (1928)
- "Mandir" (1927)
- "Nairashya"
- "Nimantran" (1926)
- "Pashu se Manushya"
- "Prayaschit"
- "Prem Purnima"
- "Prem ka Uday" (1923)
- "Prerna" (1925)
- "Ramleela" (1926)
- "Samar Yatra" (1930)
- "Sati" (1925)
- "Satyagraha" (1923)
- "Sawa ser Gehun" (1921)
- "Sewa Marg"
- "Subhagi"
- "Suhag ki Sari" (1923)
- "Sujan Bhagat"
- "Rani Sarndha" (1930)
- "Swatva Raksha"
- "Thakur ka Kuaan" (1924)
- "Thriya Charita"
- "Tagada" (1924)
- "Khoon Safed" (1923)
- "Udhar ki Ghadi"
- "Vajrpaat" (1922)
- "Raja Hardaul" (1925)
- "Vimata"
- "Hajje Akbar"
- "Sautele Maa"
- "Kajaki" (1921)
- "Ibrat"
- "Roshni"
- "Bhadde ka Tattu" (1922)
- "Nijat"
- "Mazdoor"
- "Kazaaki" (1921)
- "Mritak Bhoj" (1922)
Translations
Premchand translated several non-Hindi works into Hindi. These included the writings of Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar, Leo Tolstoy (The Story of Richard Doubledick), Oscar Wilde (Canterville), John Galsworthy (Strife), Saadi Shirazi, Guy de Maupassant, Maurice Maeterlinck (The Sightless) and Hendrik Willem van Loon (The Story of Mankind).[51][62]
Some of the translated titles include:
| Premchand's title | Original |
|---|---|
| Ahankar | Thaïs by Anatole France[35] (adaptation) |
| Azad Katha | Fasana-e-Azad (1880) by Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar |
| Parvat Yatra | Sair-e-Kohsar (1890) by Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar |
| Chandi ki Dibiya | The Silver Box (1906) by John Galsworthy |
| Hartal | Strife (1909) by John Galsworthy |
| Nyaya | Justice (1910) by John Galsworthy |
| Sukhdas | Silas Marner by George Eliot[63] (adaptation) |
| Tolstoy ki Kahaniyan | Stories of Leo Tolstoy |
Other
Film script
- Mill (Mazdoor), (1934)
This is the only film written by the acclaimed writer Munshi Premchand in which he also played a cameo. The film courted controversy owing to its story of the prodigal son of a benevolent mill worker who inherits the mill and proceeds to treat its workers with disdain.
Plays
- Karbala
- Tajurba
- Prem ki Vedi
- Roohani Shadi
- Sangram
Essays
- Kuchh Vichar (two parts)
- Qalam Tyag aur Talwar
Biographies
- Durgadas
- Mahatma Sheikhsadi (biography of Saadi)
Children's books
- Bal Kahaniyan Sumpurn
- Manmodak
- Ram Charcha
