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Two Magicians by Satyajit Ray
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About the author
Satyajit Ray
656 books1,503 followersSatyajit Ray (Bengali: সত্যজিৎ রায়) was an Indian filmmaker and author of Bengali fiction and regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of world cinema. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and watching Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist 1948 film, Bicycle Thieves.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 27, 2023
Read in Found In Translation anthology. Satyajit Ray was an Indian filmmaker and author of Bengali fiction. I remember enjoying this story and that I was surprised by the ending. A magician remembers how he became who he was and about his mentor. I have to say that I've read a quite a few excellent short stories written by Indian authors in this collection.
July 10, 2017
Brilliant. The ending no one can see coming.
It is a story of a young boy fascinated by magic. He learned and climbed higher in fame and money. On his first magic show outside Bengal, his teacher came to meet him and ask him a difficult question.
Hooked from the start till the end. A magical story.
It is a story of a young boy fascinated by magic. He learned and climbed higher in fame and money. On his first magic show outside Bengal, his teacher came to meet him and ask him a difficult question.
Hooked from the start till the end. A magical story.
June 12, 2017
Brilliant
Simple story with a sudden dramatic twist in the end. It was highly interesting and enjoyable. Author has used ending cleverly.
Simple story with a sudden dramatic twist in the end. It was highly interesting and enjoyable. Author has used ending cleverly.
May 15, 2019
Dhrupad
I totally love it. Was flabbergasted in the middle. I give it a 4.9 stars for it
Thank you Satyajit ray for writing this book.
I totally love it. Was flabbergasted in the middle. I give it a 4.9 stars for it
Thank you Satyajit ray for writing this book.
May 11, 2020
Story with a twist. Beautiful language, a lovely 10 minutes read.
January 23, 2018
Good short read
Good short read. Story of two magician tells us the story of two individuals differ from each other because of their mindset comes together and how destiny plays their role in their life crux the story.
Good short read. Story of two magician tells us the story of two individuals differ from each other because of their mindset comes together and how destiny plays their role in their life crux the story.
January 18, 2021
Impactful short story
I have read this story before in Bengali and now read this English version. The prose is simple and easy to follow which is praiseworthy of the translator. As for the story itself, a masterpiece work by Satyajit Ray.
I have read this story before in Bengali and now read this English version. The prose is simple and easy to follow which is praiseworthy of the translator. As for the story itself, a masterpiece work by Satyajit Ray.
January 29, 2019
Interesting
I am falling in love with these short reads. It gives us a taste of different writers and genres without having to read/spend much. This story by the famous Satyajit Ray is indeed a magical one in terms of narration.
I am falling in love with these short reads. It gives us a taste of different writers and genres without having to read/spend much. This story by the famous Satyajit Ray is indeed a magical one in terms of narration.
July 22, 2017
Some storyline is not meant for short story. Lack of content and no goal to the writing. Rating 2 stars for colorful language
Language: Easy
Storyline: Poor
narration: Good
Reading: Light
Language: Easy
Storyline: Poor
narration: Good
Reading: Light
December 20, 2019
When it comes to short stories Satyajit Ray sir is in a league of his own. When I first encountered his stories via '14 stories that inspired Satyajit Ray', I wasn't that impressed. But later I came to realization that most of those stories are not written by him, but are those that which he made into movies. I later encountered 'Collected Stories by Satyajit Ray', which made me realize his brilliance.
This story and the translation are superb, smooth and enthralling. This will bring forth a smile on your lips towards the end of the story, albeit the predictability of the climax. One minor niggle was the story felt as if it was scope limited, and ending was not as satisfying when compared to his other stories like Bonkubabu and Fotikchand.
This story and the translation are superb, smooth and enthralling. This will bring forth a smile on your lips towards the end of the story, albeit the predictability of the climax. One minor niggle was the story felt as if it was scope limited, and ending was not as satisfying when compared to his other stories like Bonkubabu and Fotikchand.
February 28, 2024
Sometimes simplicity hooks you up..
This is what this 10 minutes read, did to me.
I have never being to Bengal. But I have been there in different timelines through books and so I can undoubtedly say it’s one of my favourite city..❤️❤️
This book takes you through a beautiful short story about a magician and his guru based in Bengal..
the way the Guru asks for his gurudakshina against the last magic trick he teaches his disciple, is amazing
If you like simple short stories , you should definitely read this one which is there on @amazonkindle Unlimited.
3.75 ⭐️
This is what this 10 minutes read, did to me.
I have never being to Bengal. But I have been there in different timelines through books and so I can undoubtedly say it’s one of my favourite city..❤️❤️
This book takes you through a beautiful short story about a magician and his guru based in Bengal..
the way the Guru asks for his gurudakshina against the last magic trick he teaches his disciple, is amazing
If you like simple short stories , you should definitely read this one which is there on @amazonkindle Unlimited.
3.75 ⭐️
November 2, 2018
I’m struck by how much this story reads like a film. Put plainly, it evokes a sequence of images in your head as your read, and that becomes the way you experience the story, instead of as just mere words on paper. Reading this translation makes me want to learn Bangla, as I can barely imagine how much richer it would’ve felt in Satyajit Ray’s own words.
However unlike other readers, I did feel a bit underwhelmed by the ending.
However unlike other readers, I did feel a bit underwhelmed by the ending.
August 12, 2017
Satyajit Ray at his best!!! <3 <3
October 25, 2017
Short, enjoyable read!
Engrossing! The ending was unpredictable and left me wishing there was more. But more story might've ruined that effect endin
Engrossing! The ending was unpredictable and left me wishing there was more. But more story might've ruined that effect endin
February 11, 2018
WOW
I had heard about these kinds of masterpieces, but had never read any. WOW is the only word I can think of. It's simply Wow and wow only.
I had heard about these kinds of masterpieces, but had never read any. WOW is the only word I can think of. It's simply Wow and wow only.
May 10, 2018
A short read by one of the greats.
June 16, 2018
It's ok
It is too short give a full in depth review of something within 10 minutes free. But it is a good read.
It is too short give a full in depth review of something within 10 minutes free. But it is a good read.
November 27, 2018
A quick read. Nice.
June 26, 2019
A short story
Not really an exciting story. I wouldn't recommend. But can be read to time pass and for satyajit ray. Every single star i gave is only for the name satyajit ray.
Not really an exciting story. I wouldn't recommend. But can be read to time pass and for satyajit ray. Every single star i gave is only for the name satyajit ray.
September 8, 2019
Haunting and effervescent
Had a beautiful feel to it.
Coherent and enigmatic in relativity. Felt like it was happening before my eyes. Thanks for a great write up!
Had a beautiful feel to it.
Coherent and enigmatic in relativity. Felt like it was happening before my eyes. Thanks for a great write up!
February 14, 2020
Loved it
Good short read. Totally loved it. Story ended abruptly I really Didn't expected that. After finishing I just felt like it was too soon.
Good short read. Totally loved it. Story ended abruptly I really Didn't expected that. After finishing I just felt like it was too soon.
January 19, 2021
Real thing in life is what matters. The teacher teaches his pupil the final trick and along with it comes the twist.
May 5, 2021
Although I read it in bengali, this is a really interesting read.
August 2, 2021
Nice short story with the twist at the end.
October 31, 2022
A short story that leaves us in awe of its magic (literally) while teaching a valuable lesson
My rating: 4/5
Surapati, a renowned magician, is travelling to Lucknow, for his first magic show outside Bengal. While he is recalling how he reached this stage in his professional life, he gets a visit from his master, Tripura Babu who makes a request that puts Surapati in a fix.
Full review: https://wp.me/p6XQyB-4rD
My rating: 4/5
Surapati, a renowned magician, is travelling to Lucknow, for his first magic show outside Bengal. While he is recalling how he reached this stage in his professional life, he gets a visit from his master, Tripura Babu who makes a request that puts Surapati in a fix.
Full review: https://wp.me/p6XQyB-4rD
April 25, 2020
A little story about real magic and showbiz. Live for art versus loving fame through art
January 3, 2022
The First Thought That Flashes Through The Mind After Reading This Poignant Quick Read That Barely Spans Across 10 Mins Is That Only A Brilliant Mind Of The Stature Of Satyajit Ray Could Pen Such A Fascinating Read. It Is Both Heartwarming And Leaves The Reader Smiling With Joy.
Originally Written In Bengali It Has Been Selected & Finely Translated By Arunava Sinha Who Beautifully Retains The Original Flavour In This Translated Flash Read.
Two Magicians Is One Of 21 Assorted Stories Of All Time Great Stories That Were Originally Published In The Greatest Bengali Stories Every Told.
Two Magicians As The Very Name Suggests Revolves Around Surapati Who As A Child Was Not Only Fascinated By The Magic Of His Old Grandmother Would Show The Children That Captured Their Child Like Innocence And He Got Drawn Into The World Of Magic That By The Time He Turned 16 He Was Doing His Own Tricks Polishing His Art. But It Was Tripura Charan Mallick Babu Who Really Drew Him In To The Extent That He Polished The Youngsters Trick And Shared Some Of His Own Too Seeing The Passion How Eager Surapati Was To Intern Under Him.
What Follows In The Climax Is Certainly Unexpected And That Twist Alone Is Reason Enough To Relish This Fascinating Tale Coming As It Does From Satyajit Ray No Less!!!
Originally Written In Bengali It Has Been Selected & Finely Translated By Arunava Sinha Who Beautifully Retains The Original Flavour In This Translated Flash Read.
Two Magicians Is One Of 21 Assorted Stories Of All Time Great Stories That Were Originally Published In The Greatest Bengali Stories Every Told.
Two Magicians As The Very Name Suggests Revolves Around Surapati Who As A Child Was Not Only Fascinated By The Magic Of His Old Grandmother Would Show The Children That Captured Their Child Like Innocence And He Got Drawn Into The World Of Magic That By The Time He Turned 16 He Was Doing His Own Tricks Polishing His Art. But It Was Tripura Charan Mallick Babu Who Really Drew Him In To The Extent That He Polished The Youngsters Trick And Shared Some Of His Own Too Seeing The Passion How Eager Surapati Was To Intern Under Him.
What Follows In The Climax Is Certainly Unexpected And That Twist Alone Is Reason Enough To Relish This Fascinating Tale Coming As It Does From Satyajit Ray No Less!!!
November 1, 2017
Review at A Bookworm's musing: HERE
Beautiful story, engaging from start to finish. Quite believable characters and well sketched, with a good lesson in it as well. Loved the ending, quite unexpected as well. An unforgettable tale!
Beautiful story, engaging from start to finish. Quite believable characters and well sketched, with a good lesson in it as well. Loved the ending, quite unexpected as well. An unforgettable tale!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews