In Anand's [short stories, the qualities of lyric awareness and a compassionate sense of humor] are supplemented by a deep awareness of both the strength and the limitations of the traditional Indian way of life and a rich understanding of the impact of modernity on it. The locale for all his stories is India, with the exception of three stories in The Tractor and the Corn Goddess ("Professor Cheeta", "Little Flower" and "The Lady and the Pedlar") in which the setting is England and as in his novels, Anand is acutely conscious of these twin forces at work in modern Indian life. In exposing the limitations of tradition, Anand's mood is in turn compassionate, indignant, ironic and satirical, as the subject and the situation demand. (p. 133)

As a short story writer, Anand's forte is his versatility and range. His more than threescore stories exhibit an astonishing variety of...