Catagory: Classics

Easily one of the most towering figures of Bengali literature of the twentieth century, Buddhadev Bose was as prolific as he was versatile. A poet of renown, Bose was also an accomplished playwright, novelist, essayist and short-story writer. His prose is marked by invention, refreshing modernity and an easy yet deep engagement with timeless themes: love, the nature of memory, and the complexity of the relationship between man and woman—qualities which keep Bose’s work enduringly relevant.
This collection brings together ten stories and two one-act plays which embody all of these qualities. In ‘The Love Letter’, Birupaksha Ray, a translator and a linguist, receives a ciphered missive from an old flame, unlocking which could occupy the rest of his life; in ‘A Scent of Tulsi’, Mihir, a husband comfortable in his patriarchy discovers a side to his wife, Kamala, which shakes up his world. And, in ‘Twenty-five Years After—or Before’, a one-act play, old lovers meet by chance at an international airport and talk about opportunities missed, and those not taken.
Translated by Arunava Sinha with trademark flair and accuracy, Restless Was the Night and Other Stories demonstrates why Buddhadev Bose occupies such a premier position in Bengali literature. This volume will appeal to Bose’s fans as well as to all lovers of great fiction.

‘It’s over—it happened—there’s nothing more to say. I, Maloti Mukherji, someone’s wife, and someone’s mother—I did it. Did it with Jayanto. Jayanto wanted me, and I him … How did it happen? Easy. In fact I don’t know why it didn’t happen before—I’m surprised at my self-restraint, at Jayanto’s patience.’ Banned when it was first published in the Bengali in 1967 on charges of obscenity, It Rained All Night went on to become a best-seller. Maloti, an attractive middle-class Bengali girl, marries the bookish college lecturer Nayonangshu only to find him insecure, sexually timid and unable to satisfy her. She discovers passion in the arms of the confident, earthy journalist Jayanto whose love provides her solace from the demands of her wifely duties. Maloti and Jayanto’s growing intimacy does not go unnoticed by Nayonangshu, but his pride restrains him from reaching out to his wife. Bold, explicit and shockingly candid, It Rained All Night is an unforgettable tale of desire, adultery, jealousy and love.

Set in the stately, forest-clad hills of Malnad in the Western Ghats during the late nineteenth century,
Bride in the Hills tells the love stories of young men and women aspiring for a life of freedom, dignity and fulfilment in marriage within a caste-ridden social order. Kuvempu’s multi-centred text, with its organic weave of varied narrative strands, much like the Mahabharata, is epic in substance and style. The novel, which is rooted in the regional realities of Malnad, is yet another example of the diversity of modern Indian literature.

Kuvempu (1904–94) chronicles the emergence of a vibrant and complex rural society caught between manipulative colonial norms and discriminatory native practices. Bringing in the distinct experiences of the Shudra lifeworld, he led Kannada literature to great heights with his profound and poetic writing. Kuvempu’s cosmic vision of vishva manava (universal man), which transcends narrow, sectarian boundaries, constitutes a precious legacy in the ethical traditions of the world.

This epic novel with the sweep of a Tolstoy classic enacts its mission statement: ‘Here, nobody is important; nobody is unimportant; nothing is insignificant!’ with brilliance, energy and imaginative power.

A delightful caper through colonial Bihar, Fool Bahadur by Jayanath Pati is a humorous reflection on the state’s erstwhile society and bureaucracy—told through the story of a young law officer, who hustles his way through the bureaucratic corridors to win the coveted British title of Rai Bahadur. The first-ever translation of this forgotten Magahi novel into English by Abhay K. is a tour de force that will leave you chuckling at the characters dotting its intriguing plot.