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About, Out, The Chieftain's Daughter

About The Chieftain’s Daughter

Posted on by Arunava

The Chieftain’s Daughter: Durgeshnandini
By Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay
Published in Bengali 1867
Published in English translation by Random House India, 2010

From the jacket
The first novel in Indian literature.

Inspired by the historical romances of Sir Walter Scott, Bankim Chandra’s first Bengali novel is a story of love set amidst the war between the Pathans and the Mughal emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century. Dashing young Jagat is sent by his father, Mughal general Mansingh, to quell the Pathan uprising in Bengal. There he falls in love with Tilottama, the alluring daughter of the chieftain Birendra Singh only to discover – too late – the bitter rivalry between their two families.

Stirring and colourful, Durgeshnandini (1865) created a sensation among Bengali readers with its vigorous storytelling and its bold portrayal of romantic love. it is regarded as the first novel in Indian literature.

Reviews

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About, Out, What Really Happened & Other Stories

About What Really Happened

Posted on by Arunava

What Really Happened and Other Stories
by Banaphool
Published in Bengali 1925 – 1972
Published in English translation by Penguin India, 2010

From the jacket
Classic tales from the O. Henry of Bengali literature

Translated into English for the first time, these stories by legendary writer Banaphool cleverly explore how life’s absurdities are negotiated through human relationships—whether between friends or family, lovers or strangers.

In the title story, a lovelorn boy waits earnestly in his hostel room for the arrival of his beloved, only to be greeted by a rude shock. In ‘Conjugal Dreams’, the fickle nature of love is at the centre of the story, as two newlyweds confront their respective old loves. In ‘The Homecoming’, an insurance agent travelling home by train for Durga Puja encounters a most unexpected co-passenger. In ‘The Corpse’, a harmless wager leads to very dramatic consequences. Moulded out of everyday occurrences and happenings, these sparkling vignettes range from poignant and tragic to whimsical and satirical.

In these tales, Banaphool invokes a host of enduring characters even as he makes sharp observations about the human condition.

Reviews

Deccan Herald

BusinessWorld

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About, By The Tungabhadra, Out

About By The Tungabhadra

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By The Tungabhadra
By Saradindu Bandyopadhyay
Published in Bengali 1967
Published in English translation by Harper-Collins India, 2010

From the jacket
Bidyunmala, the princess of Kalinga, is on her way for a marriage of political convenience with Devaraya, the king of Vijaynagar, when a mysterious young man called Arjunvarma makes his appearance in her life and becomes part of her entourage. While preparing to wed the beautiful Bidyunmala, Devaraya is threatened by a treacherous brother within and enemies preparing for war without; worse still, Bidyunmala seems to be in love with Arjunvarma, a man Devaraya has come to trust.And so begins Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s classic tale of intrigue, love and war, set on the banks of the river Tungabhadra in fourteenth-century India.

A gripping narrative that blends romance, politics and intrigue played out against an authentically etched backdrop, By the River Tungabhadra, superbly translated from the Bengali original, Tungabhadrar Teere,represents the pinnacle of the writer’s oeuvre.

Reviews

DNA

The Deccan Herald

The Asian Age

Sakal Times

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About, Out, There Was No One At The Bus-Stop

About There Was No One At The Bus-Stop

Posted on by Arunava

There Was No One At The Bus-Stop
by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Published in Bengali in 1975
Published in English translation by Penguin India, 2010

From the jacket
‘Love was one thing, sin was another—and although it was difficult to tell love from sin, Trina had learnt to identify some of the signs.’

Set in Calcutta in the 1970s, There Was No One at the Bus Stop is a powerful exploration of adultery and its overwhelming consequences.

Trina, a married woman, impulsively decides one day to stop living a lie and walks out on her husband, daughter and son, in whose lives she no longer plays a role. But will she be able to sever the bonds and join the man she loves in his home? The man, Debashish, is haunted by his wife’s recent suicide and is tormented by the possibility that his young son would rather live away from him.

Through spare prose and searing dialogue, this novel unfolds over twelve hours on a single day. It reveals the often complex reasons that hold human relationships together and the motives that break them apart.

Reviews

India Today

Deccan Herald

Humanities Underground

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About, Illicit, Out

About Illicit

Posted on by Arunava

Illicit
by Dibyendu Palit
Published in Bengali in 1992
Published in English translation by Penguin India, 2010

From the jacket
Ashim didn’t attract her anymore. She had not realized that she had lost interest in this wooden, mechanical and tedious relationship. Until she met Partha.

Eight years into her marriage to Ashim, responsible and conscientious to a fault, Jeena, an attractive housewife, finds herself drawn to Partha Mukherjee. Stolen glances and clandestine meetings lead to a weekend trip to Puri while Ashim is away on business. At Puri, however, after a night of passion turns violent, Jeena is besieged with doubts about her illicit relationship.

Reviews

India Today

Deccan Herald

Humanities Underground

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