Ithaca (Paperback)

Ithaca Book Description

About the Book :

B.T. Road (B.T. Roader Dharey, 1953) emerged out of Samaresh Basu's own experiences of urban slum life concentrated around the jute mills of Bengal and the trade union movement that grew around them. The residents of a nameless slum next to the Barrackpore Trunk Road are brought to life with his sensitive pen, not from the perspective of an outsider viewing the grim squalor of the place but from a deep enquiry into their inner lives.

With The Hollow (Bibar, 1965), a chilling, often grotesque, portrayal of society and its mores, Basu turned towards a frank dissection of the middle class and its unashamed pursuit of self-interest. With characteristic incisiveness, he tells the story of the dissolute Biresh and his struggle to free himself from the confines of love, family, profession and politics. Charged with obscenity at the time of its publication, it remains 'a unique ethical novel in Bengali'.

About the Author :

Samaresh Basu (1924–1988) is a major figure of Bengali literary fiction. A prolific writer with more than 200 short stories and 100 novels to his name, Basu's writings ranged from political activism to sexuality. Two of his novels, including Bibar, were briefly banned on charges of obscenity. Under the nom de plume 'Kalkut', Basu also wrote novels such as Amritakumbher Sandhaney and Shamba. The latter won him the Sahitya Akademi Award.

About the Translator :

An MBA by profession, Saugata Ghosh is currently associated with the education industry. His short stories have been published by The Telegraph, The Statesman and The Asian Age. In 2009, the Sahitya Akademi published his translation of Shamba, Kalkut's award-winning Novel.

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