These meditative, minutely-observed stories bring back to life a Kashmiri culture that is tragically fading into the past. Kaul's observations of everyday life in the valley have a particular poignancy in light of his own displace- ment in 1990. The personal struggles of his characters take place against a backdrop of political turmoil, and For Now, It Is Night willbring English speaking readers a new understanding of Kashmir, beyond the headlines. -Hari Kunzru For Now, It Is Night is a transcendent, breathtaking work. In these pages Hari Krishna Kaul's writing: nuanced and tender, provocative and witty, manages to balance large questions of homeland, community, and religion with strikingly lovely portraits of ordinary individuals seeking companion ship, security, and love. Translated with uncommon sensitivity, these stories pulse with some of the most urgent questions of our time, Maaza Mengiste Hari Krishna Kaul had a deep understanding of Kashmiri society, especially of women and the marginalized, and wove gripping stories. He strips off the layers of ypocrisy but does so with empathy, using irony and black humor as tools. The frustrations and disappointments of the people, bóth Muslims and Pandits, are sensitively felt and fearlessly depicted. These per ceptive translations do justice to his masterful stories.