Reading Arunava Sinha's recent translation of Banaphool's short stories was like revisiting a dear friend after years. I had first read Banaphool's writings in the original Bangla long ago during my school and college days. To re-read them in an accessible and smooth English translation was a great pleasure. High quality English translations of many literary gems from our bhashas are now being published. It's a boon for book lovers, for we can now read masterpieces orignially written in a language not our own.
Banaphool's simple language and spare style belie great depth and rich nuances in his writing. The twists of plot reminiscent of O Henry; the fine touches of irony and humour; understated emotions of great depth and complexity; discovering poetry and beauty in everyday things; These stories are worth reading for all this and much, much more.
Read my complete review published in Deccan Herald
1 comment:
Hi, Monideepa. Thanks for a lovely review. I love Banaphool's works. He is credited with the creation of the "micro story" genre in Bengali literature and his stories, though micro, have a lot of depth and meaning. I first read Banaphool in the Rupa anthology 'Balika Badhu: a representative anthology of Bengali short stories' edited by Monish Ranjan Chatterjee. My favourites from this collection are 'Chokh Gyalo', 'Nudi O Taalgaach', 'Parul Prasanga', 'Ek Phonta Jal' and 'Tajmahal'.
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