Fiction-In Translation-Bengali
By Manoranjan Byapari. Translated from the original Bengali by V. Ramaswamy Eka
Certain geographical and location settings, such as the city of Calcutta, Jadavpur, a railway station amongst other surrounding areas, give life to the narrative, and the divisions within these spaces reveal how a person’s identity is shaped by the environment they inhabit. Translated by V Ramaswamy, the book flows effortlessly, with the language leaping off the pages, drawing readers into the underbelly of what it means to be displaced and without a firm foothold in an ever-changing world.
By Anurupa Devi. Translated from the original Bengali by Sanjukta Banerji Bhattacharya
2024
The plot is woven around four main characters: Aurobindo, Manorama, Brajarani and Ajit. Aurobindo’s sister Saratsashi also plays an important part in the web of relationships among these characters, but is not directly affected by their fortunes, whereas the four main characters are affected by each other’s actions. Of course, the person whose character and power drives the plot dies when the narrative begins, but the shadow that he casts on the future course of action never disappears. He is Aurobindo’s father, who decrees that his legatee, Aurobindo, expel his wife Manorama and son, Ajit, and marry a second woman, Brajarani, the daughter of a rich man on account of his social prestige and a handsome dowry that she will bring. Manorama’s father belonged to a lower social class and could not afford any worthwhile dowry.