আমি, অনুপম

by Nabaneeta Dev Sen

English
195

132 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Nabaneeta Dev Sen is an award-winning Indian poet, novelist and academic. Sen has published more than 80 books in Bengali: poetry, novels, short stories, plays, literary criticism, personal essays, travelogues, humour writing, translations and children’s literature. Her short stories and travelogues are a rare combination of fine humour, deep human concern, and high intellect, which has made her a unique figure in the Bangla literary scene.

She is a well-known children's author in Bengali for her fairy tales and adventure stories, with girls as protagonist. She has also written prize-winning one-act plays.

Reviews

[Tejaswini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anupam Roy writes a weekly article in 'Daily News', called 'Roy's corner' in which he analyses politics of the country & world. Also he is a political commentator on radio , garnering huge listeners. Before becoming this famous as a columnist & political analyst, he is a professor heading a department in a university & a revered orator known across the country for his voracious knowledge & skills. The country's political arena is scared of his limitless pen power which has an ability to change its fate. A middle aged man of less words, Anupam leads a solitary life & has a weakness of illegitimate trysts with women for his ecstatic pleasures. On this note, he stays away from 'intelligent' women whom he considers as 'dangerous'.
~~~
The story takes place in Bengal during Naxalite movement. Anupam secretly supports his students chosing the path of naxalism. He strives legally for the release of his students being tortured to death who has participated in the movement.
In this process , everything upheavels when one of his students Sameer, a Naxalite comes to his home to take shelter one night. On the pretext of being opportunistic, he does something out of spite. A sudden pang of guilt strikes him; his seamless & fearless writing suffers stalled unable to pen a stroke.
~~~
Also Anupam broods over his severe sore throat as his voice is the hub of his income , fame & respect. Knowing the critical condition of his throat & passing through this fear of sensory loss, we witness Anupam scaling off his protective garb of indifference, politeness & intellect exposing his hidden selfish & exploitative traits. He also discovers that his innate leftist motives are feeble & loosely rooted.
~~~
'Originally written as ' Ami Anupam' in Bengali, this is proclaimed as a first novel on naxal background. Having said that , either naxalism or communism is not portrayed on the wider expanse instead it's shown as a single streak at which the plot takes an acute curve. Nabaneeta Dev Sen writes exemplarily co-relating the turbulent & quacked mood swings of Anupam allegorically with aesthetics of nature. Each chapter ends with a open link awaiting to be connected. There are very less conversations & the the story progresses mostly from the thought process & self retrospection of Anupam ; & this takes its own little for the story to grow on us. The prose is enriched with metaphors & the job of absorbing in-depth meaning between the lines is assigned to the reader. Here Translation needs a special mention; I never felt like reading a translated work at all, it is flawless & the author also took part in translating.
~~~
We start connecting the loose links which we fumble upon often at the end, yet falling short of a few links in the process. Like Anupam who ponders on continuously ,the author tends the reader too to mull over for an ample amount of time after having read this book.

[Mahmudur Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

সত্তর দশককে উপজীব্য করে একজন মানুষের জীবনের গল্প কিংবা একজনের জীবন দেখানোর মধ্য দিয়ে সত্তরের অবস্থা নিয়ে কিছু কথা। আটাত্তরে প্রকাশিত বলেই লেখিকা এভাবে লিখেছেন কিনা আমি জানি না। অনুপমের টানাপোড়েনের পাশে সত্তর আরও খানিকটা উঠে এলে ভালো হতো।

[Prerna Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad that her works are available in English now!

Nabaneeta Dev Sen, passed away recently, and all that the Indian media could write in her praise was that she was Amartya Sen’s ex-wife. The fact that she was a brilliant academic and an accomplished writer was relegated to a mere footnote.

I haven’t read any of her works till now, and this is my first. Translated from Ami Anupam, this is a penetrating work on analyzing human nature using introspection as a primary tool. It unmasks vulnerabilities and coping mechanisms and the unraveling of guilt on facing our own mortality.

I was compelled to ponder about the importance of power of speech, literal and metaphorical. Anupam, a lecturer and a political analyst, is at the risk of losing his voice to a vocal cord defect. The fear of losing his voice makes him, an introvert by nature, think what he is about to lose. He doesn’t speak much, but his voice is the biggest power that he has. It’s his identity, and with his voice a part of his soul would be lost. It also makes him wonder what all he could have possibly done with his voice that he did not, either out of cowardice or sheer hypocrisy or apathy.

Our abilities are also in a way our responsibilities, the onus lies on us to use them well.

[Sahassrabdo Saha · Rating 4 out of 5]

What stands out in Ami, Anupam is Nabaneeta Dev Sen's subtle but sharp critique of societal norms, gender roles, and the complexities of romantic relationships. Her narrative style is lucid, poetic, and layered with irony, capturing the essence of Bengali culture, the naxal movement and the intellectual milieu she writes within.