Born in 1919, journalist, biographer and novelist Madan Gopal graduated in science from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. In 1940 he began working on a short biography of Munshi Premchand, a subject that was soon to become the defining passion of his life. His major acclaimed works include: Premchand: A Literary Biography, My Life and Times (transcreated out of Premchand’s writings); translations of Select Short Stories by Premchand; and the mammoth 24-volume Kulliyat-e-Premchand (the complete works of Premchand) in Urdu. Madan Gopal has also written the biographies of Bhartendu Harishchandr (considered ‘the father of modern Hindi literature’), Balmukund Gupta (a well-known Hindi essayist), Tulsidas (the medieval poet who penned the Ramcharitmanas), Sir Chhotu Ram (a Congress leader termed ‘the messiah of farmers’) and Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia. Madan Gopal lives in Delhi.