An expansive anthology of Bengali writing
The Bengal Reader is the most expansive anthology of Bengali writing in translation yet published in one volume. Ranging from the nineteenth century to the present, it opens up the wealth of Bengali writing to a wide audience, both Bengali and non-Bengali. The book is arranged along the axis of time. The first section contains the works of the ‘argumentative Bengali’. These include the likes of Rammohun Roy’s argument against sati, Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s The Slaying of Meghnad, Lalon Fokir’s verse, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s satire. The second section tips its hat to Rabindranath Tagore, then goes on to reveal an extraordinary line-up of writers who also shaped and expanded the perspectives of their readers and Indian society in general. Here, you will read an excerpt from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Devdas, essays by scientists like Jagadish Chandra Bose and Meghnad Saha, and Sukumar Ray’s humour, among others. The third section presents a slew of independent voices. It includes seminal works by luminaries like Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Manik Bandyopadhyay, Jibanananda Das, and Sukanta Bhattacharya. Sinha attributes the boom of literary genius in this era to a ‘happy concatenation’, where magazines and cheap, widely available books ignited the imagination of both readers and writers. Next comes the era of the ‘revolutionary fires’, work by those who questioned and resisted the status quo — Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Kanu Sanyal, and Ashapurna Devi. The final section presents modern writers dealing with caste hierarchies, body politics, consumerism, and the media — like Manohar Mouli Biswas, Joy Goswami, and Srijato. The end of the anthology signals the crumbling of existing hierarchies in the publishing world and heralds the coming of new, raw voices. Vast and unparalleled in its scope, The Bengal Reader reflects the literary life of Bengal across two centuries.*
Confronting the wayward ways of the heart
Ralph, in his thirties, desires a steady relationship. But his partner, Ojas, has other plans — he wants to keep it open. Meanwhile, Ralph’s house-help Zubina faces a crisis of her own. After walking in on Ralph and Ojas sharing a moment of tenderness, she starts questioning her own marriage — one that has produced two children, but little else; certainly not the kind of love she had borne witness to at Ralph’s.
As Ralph tries to retain a sense of equanimity under the shadow of Ojas’s decision, and as Zubina struggles to understand the foundations of her own married life, both, from vastly different circumstances, find themselves beset similarly by deep restlessness and confusion. Both are in relationships burdened by words that have never been said. Both are waiting for a future to reveal itself — to unfold as it must.
{{/usCountry}}As Ralph tries to retain a sense of equanimity under the shadow of Ojas’s decision, and as Zubina struggles to understand the foundations of her own married life, both, from vastly different circumstances, find themselves beset similarly by deep restlessness and confusion. Both are in relationships burdened by words that have never been said. Both are waiting for a future to reveal itself — to unfold as it must.
{{/usCountry}}An exceptional debut novel that follows an affluent couple in Kolkata and a working-class Muslim mother in the city’s slums, Unfolding ventures where few stories go. It confronts the wayward ways of the heart; it articulates the true price of love; and it tells us what it means to find the road back home.*
Of conquest, alliances and slavery
This is a powerful new account of a chapter in history that is crucial to understand, yet often overlooked. For 150 years, from the reign of Louis XIV to the downfall of Napoleon, France was an aggressive imperial power in South Asia, driven by the pursuit of greatness and riches. Through their East India company and state, the French established a far- reaching empire in India, only to see their dominant position undermined by conflict with Indian rulers, competition from other European nations, and a series of fatal strategic errors.
Exploding the myth of a benign French presence on the subcontinent, Robert Ivermee’s extensive research reveals how France’s Indian empire relied on war-making, conquest, opportunistic alliances, regime change and slavery to pursue its ambitions. He considers influential French figures’ reactions to the collapse of the imperial project, not least their deployment of new ideas, like freedom and the rights of man, to justify fresh ventures of domination-even as colonial authorities failed to acknowledge the equality of French India’s diverse indigenous peoples, both before and after the French Revolution.
From great power rivalry to informal empire and entrenched inequalities, Glorious Failure tackles topics that remain vital and urgent in today’s world.*
*All copy from book flap.