Originally written in Gujarati, The ‘Black Book’ (Kali Kitaab) was first published in its Hindi translation in The Times of India’s Hindi literary short story monthly, Sarika, in 1975. Kamleshwar, the then editor of Sarika said of the story: “In this Black Book which is darker than the night and brighter than light, a man can clearly see both sides of his soul, the black as well as the white. There is no element missing in the Black Book which cannot be found in Man today.”
The same year it was released as a novel. And in its preface, famous litterateur Late Dr. Dharamvir Bharati wrote: “Shiva’s tandav dance is always callous. It destroys many things so that a new human order can be establis-hed. The same callousness is also found in this satirical fiction and the same motive. In the classical style of the Old Testament, the writer has given voice to the complete truth of the day.”
Many editions have appeared since, not only in Hindi but also in Kannada, Marathi, Urdu and Gujarati. In Kannada, it was awarded the ‘Best Book of The Year’ award.

Born : 5th May, 1935, Rajula (Gujarat, India)
Education : G. D. Arts (Fine)
National Award-winning author Aabid Surti has won critical acclaim for multiple creative talents. The list of his creative accomplishments befits half a dozen people rather than one individual. As an author his output has been prolific; he has written around 80 books till date, which have been translated into almost every Indian language. As a screenwriter he has been associated with directors like Raj Kapoor and Raj Khosla on film projects and as a playwright, he has penned seven plays.
An accomplished painter, he has held 16 exhibitions in India and abroad.  In 1971, the Indian government commissioned a short film ‘ABID’ to showcase his creative work.
As a cartoonist, he created the lovable simpleton ‘Dhabbuji’. The highly original and popular cartoon strip has been one of the longest-running comic strips in India, running without a break for over 30 years. Aabid has also created another popular comic book character, ‘Bahadur,’ which achieved cult status in 1970s and 1980s. In 1993, the Indian government conferred a National Award upon him. He lives in a quiet suburb of Mumbai and continues to explore painting, writing and meditation.