Munshi Premchand was the pseudonym of Dhanpat Rai, who was born in Banaras in 1880 and died a few months after the publication of Godaan in 1936. The greatness of Godaan lies in its unparalleled and in-depth depiction of the Indian rural milieu. It has been translated into almost all the major Indian languages as well as many foreign languages. Premchand's other novels include Rangabhumi (The Theatre or Arena, 1925), Nirmala (1927), and Karmabhumi (Arena of Action,1932) where the focus is on the nationalist struggle of the country. Premchand was also the first to introduce the genre of the short story in Hindi. His more than 300 hundred stories contain some of his finest work, the most famous of which is The Chess Players(1924).

Premchand began writing while teaching at a government school, and adopted this pen name after his first book of short stories was labeled inflammatory and burned by the British government. He is arguably the greatest figure in the history of both Hindi and Urdu fiction.For a more detailed biography of Premchand please go here.