Fascinating Stories: Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay

Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay (1894-1895) is recognised today as one of the most significant novelists of the post-Tagorean period. Besides novels of enduring quality such as Pather Panchali, Aparajita and Aranyak, he has given us stories of varied range and quality. All his writings are marked by a sense of pity for the deprived and the humble.

The stories presented here bring to life the face of Bengal as it was at the beginning of the 20th century. In thes3e stories the reader will meet the poverty and the attraction of the quiet countryside-the gentry, the peasants, the women-folk and the boys of a close knit society. Perhaps he will also "share the happiness of the Truant boys roaming about the fields in gay abandon in a glorious summer morning in Bengal". Here are some stories involving ghosts and spirits, which had a stronger appeal when they were written about half a century ago than they do in this electronic age. Some stories are set in the city of Kolkata where the author had been a school teacher for many years.

About the Author

Ashoka Dev Choudhuri: educated in Kolkata and Oxford, Ashok Dev Choudhuri had taught In Santiniketan and Kolkata, later became principal of Motilal Nehru College, Delhi University. Author of a number of books on British and American drama, he visited several universities abroad in connection with teaching and research. His interest in Satyajit Ray is wellknown. Apart from this selection, he has translated some of the best stories of Bibhutibhusan, on whom he has talked and published widely.