
Product Description
The Bengal Reader is the most expansive anthology of Bengali writing in translation yet published in one volume. Ranging from the nineteenth century to the present, it is edited and translated by one of the most prolific translators of our times, Arunava Sinha. It opens up the wealth of Bengali writing to a wide audience, both Bengali and non-Bengali. The book is arranged along the axis of time. The first section contains the works of the βargumentative Bengaliβ. These include the likes of Rammohun Royβs argument against sati, Michael Madhusudan Duttβs The Slaying of Meghnad, Lalon Fokirβs verse, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyayβs satire. The second section tips its hat to Rabindranath Tagore, then goes on to reveal an extraordinary line-up of writers who also shaped and expanded the perspectives of their readers and Indian society in general. Here, you will read an excerpt from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyayβs Devdas, essays by scientists like Jagadish Chandra Bose and Meghnad Saha, and Sukumar Rayβs humour, among others. The third section presents a slew of independent voices. It includes seminal works by luminaries like Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Manik Bandyopadhyay, Jibanananda Das, and Sukanta Bhattacharya. Sinha attributes the boom of literary genius in this era to a βhappy concatenationβ, where magazines and cheap, widely available books ignited the imagination of both readers and writers. Next comes the era of the βrevolutionary firesβ, work by those who questioned and resisted the status quoβ Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Kanu Sanyal, and Ashapurna Devi. The final section presents modern writers dealing with caste hierarchies, body politics, consumerism, and the mediaβlike Manohar Mouli Biswas, Joy Goswami, and Srijato. The end of the anthology signals the crumbling of existing hierarchies in the publishing world and heralds the coming of new, raw voices. Vast and unparalleled in its scope, The Bengal Reader reflects the literary life of Bengal across two centuries. It will outlast generations and stand the test of time. Read more


