The issue of translation is always a vexed one. More so, if the works are by a major Bengali writer like Samaresh Basu (1924 to 1988), who courted controversy and criticism during his time. The 1980 Sahitya Akademi winner, like many Bengali intellectuals of his generation, was a Communist who rested his stories purely on ideological convictions. His 200-plus short stories and over 100 novels, two of which were also temporarily banned on charges of obscenity, mostly ranged from political activism to working and middle class torments and sexuality. His themes were always based on the life he lived and experienced. And, that often means, collapse of the stereotype.
This collection of two novellas is aimed at a new readership, says the translator Saugata Ghosh. The original The Barrackpore Trunk Road-er Dharey translated as B.T.Road and Bibar as The Hollow , which was briefly banned, represent two distinct yet inter-linked phases of the author's life and writings. They present Basu not as a chronicler of times but a sensitive observer of political and social changes that he witnessed.
Taut script
The stories are an empathetic inner journey, unfolding little vignettes of middle class society. You can almost smell the sweat and grime of urban slums concentrated around jute mills of Bengal and also see through the seamy underbelly of working and middle class. The texture, mood and pacing of the narrative is impressive. The taut script with powerful and provocative sub-plots is written with a felicity to evoke emotion. And the deeply nuanced and sensitive translation is as engrossing as the original.
If you are reading Samaresh Basu for the first time, it is perhaps a good idea to read this collection from the back to front. The last 50 pages carry an in-depth interview with him on his works, his life, the translator's note and critical comments from readers rejecting Bibar as “continuing flow of immature obscenity.” It is like reading a rebellion.
B.T. Road represents the struggle of the industrial man to assert his collective entity as a class against a hostile society while The Hollow highlights the struggle of the same industrial man to assert his individual identity in the face of his deep alienation from the bourgeois society that bred him. The author writes with an open mind and demonstrates that spontaneity is more worthwhile than elegant construction in writing. The Hollow, where the protagonist kills his girlfriend, may not convince all because he is not glorified as a hero.
Yet, it is a grotesque portrayal of society and its mores. A turgid tale of regret and retribution, the protagonist becomes the victim of his own fantasy. Its high-voltage writing overwhelmed the intelligentsia with despondency when it was first published in 1965. The story can inspire you to think on a range of issues that go far beyond the purported title of the volume.
Tapestry of life
In contrast to the unashamed pursuit of middle class self-interest , the other 1953 novel, too is a beautiful tapestry of Bengali life: of a victim of circumstances. A narrative studded with flourishes of emotions and language, the author's understanding of the subject is deep. The grim squalor of the urban slums and the futile battle to make it liveable, a deep enquiry into peoples' lives, the growing trade union movement personify a history of aspirations. Suffused with suffering, fortified by despair, carefully nurtured but fated to collapse, life is like an extended nightmare in the sickening industrial sprawl. The slum is a ruin of homes, lives and ambitions.
Through a narrative of intrigues and enigma, the author gives fresh insights into the innocence and simplicity of those who live here. The story is seen through a landless immigrant who returns to the industrial belt from where he was earlier evicted for fomenting labour unrest. It leaves you with the feeling that you can't live under the delusion for long that everything is good.
B.T.Road/The Hollow: Novellas;Samaresh Basu, Translated by Saugata Ghosh, Harper Perennial, Rs.350.
