1. O Henry (1862-1910), or William Sydney Porter, is best known for his short
stories which are famous for their wit, wordplay, realistic characterisation
and twist-endings. Some of his famous short stories are The Ransom
of Red Chief, The Cop and the Anthem, The Duplicity of Hargraves and
The Gift of the Magi.
This story is about two friends, Bob and Jimmy, who had promised to meet
twenty years later at a particular time and place. The twist at the end of the
tale reveals how each friend lived up to the promise.
2.
Ruskin Bond (1934- ) is an Indian writer of British origin. He has spent most
of his life in Dehradun and loves writing about the forests, hill stations and
people of this region. Many of his stories are autobiographical. The Indian
Council for Child Education has recognised his role in the growth of children's
literature in India. He was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992
for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra.
This text is about a cherry tree and the little boy who plants it.
3. Gieve Patel (1940- ) is a Mumbai-based poet, playwright and painter, besides being a practising
physician. His works include Poems, first launched by Nissim Ezekiel, followed by How Do You
Withstand and Mirrored Mirroring. He also edited a collection of poetry which was published
in 2006.
This poem talks about the amount of effort required to kill a tree which takes a great deal of
time and natural resources to grow. The vivid description and the ironic tone underline
the sadness of the situation.
4.
Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) was an Indian filmmaker, artist and writer. He wrote
several short stories and novels for children and young adults. He created
the famous characters of the scientist, Professor Shonku, and the private
detective, Feluda.
In this text, which is the first of the Feluda stories, Ray subtly shows us
how Feluda cleverly solves this mystery.
5.
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle
(1859-1930) is best known for his fictional
detective stories revolving around the private investigator, Sherlock Holmes,
whom he introduced in his novel, A Study in Scarlet, in 1890. These stories are
considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.
In this text, we see how the speaker subtly builds up
the
suspense
with little details and incidents and also how remarkably Holmes' deductions
are explained.
6.
