To readers of Sabarna Roy’s Random Subterranean Mosiac: 2012 – 2018, his latest slim and elegant volume titled Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020: Letters, Ideas, Conversations and Poems comes as another delightful read. In this two-part volume, packaged with a selection of his poems, Roy explores the concepts of duality and constancy in discussions with his daughter. Presented as conversations over coffee and desserts, the talks extend to diverse topics with Lolita at one end and marine conservation at the other. In his poems, Roy and his alter-ego, Sandy, soothe and shock you in turns until you burst out of the last page, breathless and asking for more.
Sabarna Roy’s characters are all around us. He has dabbled in poetry, prose, plays and non-fiction with equal elan and delved into the emptiness and futility of life reminding us of the masters in the trade. Two quotations from Sabarna Roy’s works will prove the above stated point: “A question leapt into his mind: Is it possible to achieve true happiness by living a solitary life or is it important to lead a community life where one instinctively believes that one’s own desires are insignificant compared to the desires of others and one works towards fulfillment of their desires as if they are one’s own?
Many questions crossed his mind. Did he secretly crave to believe in god? Was he looking for a god to deflect his loneliness or was his loneliness actually a sense of pride, which was an obstruction between him and his god? -Forbes India
Sabarna Roy is Senior Vice President [Business Development] at Electrosteel Castings Limited, an author of eight Literary and three Technical bestselling books, TEDx Speaker, Champions of Change Award 2020 Winner, Times Excellence Award 2021 Winner in Indian Literature, and Golden Glory Award Winner for Critically Acclaimed Bestselling Author of the Year 2021. Sabarna Roy has been awarded the Right Choice Awards for Author of Eminence 2022. Sabarna Roy has been selected among the India Today Group: Icons of India. Presently, he is writing his ninth Literary work: an epistolary novel, which is likely to be published in the winter of 2022/23.
Etchings by Sabarna is a book of prose and poetry; the prose is in the style of letters. This is my first novel from the author, and I am thoroughly dazzled. His novel-writing technique is very unusual, and his selection of words is impeccable. This work is not just intended to be read, but also to make it a part of one's boundless research in a topic of their liking. I, for one, am gonna check out more of his works in the future.
This short book is split into three for the prose part, covering the subject of 'duality' and his perspective on the same for some chosen paragraphs. The theme picked looks so strenuous, yet he addresses it in such an uncomplicated way in his discussion. And next, his 'Winter Poems 2020' simply steals your breath away. I enjoyed them all; but, the only thing I wished was that he had presented titles for them. The compositions comprise of different subjects; the language and writing form is so ingenious that anyone who reads it can understand it in one go.
I have never come across such theme-based literature from any writer, and it felt exhilarating. And such books truly stand out for their out of the box thinking. I would surely recommend this one to everyone for the exceptional job done by the author. A concise read that's gonna leave you deliberating. Go grab your cuppa and indulge into the author's world!
Roy astounds once again in his writing - this time, some musings, thoughts, and his signature poems. I have to commend the diverse topics that the author touches in this book - from psychological aspects to sociological debates, Roy continues to pen down thoughts, and in the process, impress the author. Roy's poems were very powerful. Some managed to make me teary-eyed, some gave me goosebumps and some did both. I am impressed by this author's diverse oeuvre and look forward to more of his works! (edit on 20Nov: I bumped up the rating to 5stars!)
First of all,I found this book really unique in itself,as this entire book consists of several parts which include conversations,poems, letters and such stuffs,which make it kind of different.This book also reminds me the famous work of Rabindranath Tagore,i.e. Sesher Kobita-(শেষের কবিতা),as it also contains poems, conversations and letters of various emotions.
So without beating around the bush let's get started.In my opinion the book is typically divided into two parts,Part-1 included letters and conversations and Part-2 is composed with the Winter poems-2020,which shows that the author is not a Philistine at all.The first letter of the book is really heart-touching, where avfather writes a letter to his step-daughter.The father writes about his works and also invites her to meet at Kolkata.
He also writes a letter to Suranjana on“Dark Side of Mind”,personally I really enjoyed this portion,as it was like a bird's-eye view of characters of the book ‘Lolita’,and if we keep aside our preconceived notions regarding the book,we can easily observed that the author has an unique point of view and this above board conduct of the author is truly commendable.We always need to observe both sides of a coin.
On other part,we can see a conversation between a father and his step-daughter on various topics like,coffee and stuffs.Their conversation over ‘Duality’, is really thought provoking.
In the second portion,there is a collection of poem based on various emotions,events and so on,and honestly speaking those are absolutely amazing.I really enjoyed the poems as well.
The author Sabarna Roy has done an excellent job with his stunning writing style in a lucid language.Author came off with flying colours,really kudos to him.Just grab a copy for you to experience a different taste and a thought provoking piece of work.
● A 2.8☆ read for me. Book is good but not meant for everyone.
■About: so this book is mainly devided into two parts- 1. Prose and 2. Poetry. The prose section is further devided into 3 parts as follows- A) A letter to a step daughter (i really loved this one) B) A letter to Suranjana ( in this the author critically analized the controversial book Lolita and wrote his heart out about pedophiles and molesters) C) Nocturnal conversation between A step father and step daughter over desserts and coffee ( well we all know that a lot can happen over a cup of coffee and in this section various topics are covered) . After this rest of the book contains poetry,again...covering various topics.
■personsal opinion: This book felt more like a personal diary stuffed with random thoughts and alot of informations. The book is definately very informative but it failed to impress me and to touch my heart. Till the end i felt no connection. Literature wise the book is very rich,i will not suggest this book to beginners.
Etchings is a not a book but a bunch of emotions and different perspectives. The book is divided into two parts that are, poems and prose. . Prose represents the letters that the author has written and the writing style of the author is so good that it felt as if the letters are directly send to me from the author. The letters describes the conversation between a step father and a step daughter over deserts and coffee, then there are others letters too. But I really liked the one that is written to his step daughter. . After this there is poetry section and sorry but I don't really have enough words to describe the beauty and depth of those poems. The poetries will simply make you fall in love with this book and i must say the author has done a great job by covering such topics so beautifully. . Overall I loved this book so much. Couldn't get over from the writing style of the author. This book is dedicated to all the literature lovers.
Book review 💯📖 ⭐ My Rating - 3.8/5⭐ The book " Etchings of the first quarter of 2020" is a different attempt by Author Sabarna Roy.
This book is not an ordinary kinda book which many people must understand before starting it. This doesn't have any full fledged stories rather it is divided into two parts with two genres ie Prose and Poetries.
Since the plot is very less, I don't want to give spoilers. The Prose part has a collection of 3 set of letters which is actually written in the form a conversation. Coming to the poetry part, there are 20 winter poems of the author. It has covered a lot of themes and topics yet with author's unique way of touch. And as usual he has done a different attempt in this book too. Overall I liked it somehow but at places I had a feel that it is somewhat similar to a journal or a diary reading.
What I liked - ☑️The language used is simple and lucid. ☑️The book length is appropriate. ☑️Cover was something unique just like the book. ☑️Poems were written from heart with which one can connect themselves.
First of all I got this book because I heard so many positive reviews about it and it comprises of poems, letters, opinions, thoughts, ideas, conversation and covers multiple topics. I thought this book is of an entertainment genre and talks about father and daughter love but it's not. It has so many variety of topics which is an eye opener for the readers.
The book has two parts, first one dedicated to duality, which has two letters and a conversation between step-dad and step-daughter and the second part contains winter poems.
In the first letter the author invites his step-daughter to join him for dinner and to a nocturnal discussion. This letter is very simple and shows the authors love and care for his step-daughter.
In the second letter the author explains about molesters, pedophiles etc using the story of Lolita.
Then there is a nocturnal conversation in which the author discusses various topics with his daughter like schizophrenia, Karl Marx, love story of T S Eliot etc. I liked this part because I was able to learn a lot of things few of which i din't have any idea about. You need to read this part with utmost concentration else you will be lost and will not understand anything.
The second part contains 20 winter poems written between Jan 11,2020 to Jan 31,2020 which is thrilling and refreshing to the readers. It has poems on Jalianwala Bagh, death, Dr. X and so on. I liked all the poems.
This book is very different from all the other novels and author sure had out of the box thinking while writing this book. It focuses on home, love, family, ideas, thoughts which will keep you thinking more. The author very cleverly explains how people behave with duality and how it changes our lives.
I enjoyed this book very much and I recommend this book to everyone.
"Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 " by Sabarna Roy is a short read of 71 pages which consists of 4 parts containing two letters, one conversation, and a compilation of short poems.
The first letter has been written by a stepfather 'Babazula' to his stepdaughter 'Tulip' in which Babazula talks about his literary projects, his past, and his feelings about Tulip and invites her to meet him when he visits Kolkata.
The second letter has been written to Suranjana who is the senior of Sabarna's sister. In context to a session on "Dark side of mind" presented by Suranjana, Sabarna writes his views about the main characters of the famous novel 'Lolita' and analyzes the unseen side of these characters.
The third part is a conversation between Babazula and Tulip on several random topics when they meet in Kolkata. Some of the main topics discussed in this conversation are duality and schizophrenia.
The fourth section is a collection of several short poems written in the month of January'20.
My review:
✨The first letter is simple and honest writing which contains genuine feelings of a stepfather. I was able to connect with this letter and it gave a promising start to the book.
✨The second letter was more of an in-depth character analysis of the famous novel Lolita. Even if you have not read Lolita this letter will give a good insight into the characters involved and the author's analysis of their dual aspects. I liked this letter and it kept me engaged to continue the reading.
✨The third part is a continuation of the first letter. It has a conversation between Babazula and Tulip when they meet in Kolkata. They discuss several random topics but somehow I could not connect with it. Though this section is said to be a 'conversation', I felt it was completely missing. A lot of in-depth insight has been given about several topics in this section but they are completely unrelated to each other and instead of giving a feel of conversation between a stepfather and a stepdaughter it felt more like a chapter from a textbook.
✨ The charm of the book gets restored in the fourth section which has several short poems that are not rhyming but tell a lot of interesting and touching stories. This section is my favorite in this book.
Overall it was a good and unusual read. On a scale of 5, I would rate it 3.
Some of my favorite quotes from this book:
✨In life, there are certain things that are within our control, and a lot many things that are beyond our control. The aggregate of determinate and indeterminate factors makes life indeterminate. Uncertainty is closely associated with indeterminateness as indeterminate problems are likely to have multiple solutions.
✨In an era of uncontrolled greed and hunger for power, how will mankind realise its infinitesimally small place in the universe? In this river of life, how will mankind achieve transitional duality and not constancy?
Title - Etchings Of The First Quarter Of 2020 Author - Sabarna Roy Pages - 71 Genre - Poetry Format -Kindle Edition Rating - 5/5
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Etchings Of The First Quarter Of 2020 by Sabarna Roy is a collection of Letters, Ideas, Conversations, and Poems. The book is divided into four parts: Part A: A Letter To A Step Daughter, Part B: A Letter To Suranjana, Part C: Nocturnal Conversation Between A Step-Father And Step-Daughter Over Desserts And Coffee and WINTER POEMS 2020.
Part A is about a father, who is writing a letter to her step-daughter, where he talks about the books he has and an exhibition which he will be attending in Kolkata. He asks her to meet there for desserts and coffee. Part B is about him writing a letter to Suranjana, where he congratulates Suranjana for a successful session, Dark Side of the Mind, which happened at the Literary Meet. Here he explains his point of view about the characters and the book Lolita and Anna Karenina. He briefly explains about both the books.
Part C is the continuation of Part A, where both father and daughter meet. In this part, the author explains Schizophrenia and Duality briefly. The father and daughter spent time together and create memories while drinking coffee. The last part is Winter Poems 2020, which is filled with poems. The poems are engaging and penned beautifully.
All over, I liked all the parts and the stories. The way they were organized, and presented, was well maintained. The language is lucid and easy to understand. It is a short read, and I recommend this book to everyone. 😊❤️
Etchings of the first quarter of 2020 by author Sabarna Roy. It is the second read of this author. It is a relatively short book. It contains poems, letters, conversations and ideas.
The book Etchings is divided into four parts which are actually letters, highlighting on certain aspects. Such as A) A where the step- father writes a letter to his step daughter in which he talks about duality. B) A Letter to Suranjana. Where he congratulates her. C) Nocturnal conversations between the step- father and step- daughter. In the fourth part the book contains series of poems from the Winter poems 2020. These poems are beautiful.
The best part about this book is it's really simple to understand and every part written can be imagined as if it's going on in front of you. I love the writing and the flow of the story too. The narration keeps you engaged throughout the reading and doesn't let you keep down the book. Really well written and great story.
Written style of the author is excellent with a simple language. Cover page is beautiful. And the title of the book is reasonable. Go for it guys really good.
A book that shall not only fill you up with emotions but also give you a huge lot of information. The book by the author is divided into 3 parts broadly.
Letters, a huge conversation and collection of poem.
The 1st letter is from a Step - father to his Step-daughter, Tulip. He talks about duality in his letter and also about how he has seen her growing over the years and feels like her own father and not her step father. ( A beautiful potray of Step-father and Step-daughter's relationship.
The second letter is to Suranjana, where it talks about the various view points through which the story of "Lolita" can be seen. ( A letter that carries certain deep, thoughtful meanings)
The second part is about a conversation between a Step-Father and Step - Daughter over Coffee where they talk about various topics. Schizophrenia, Marxian thoughts, Marine Conservation, Biodiversity, Internet of Things and Services and also about various cases of duality were few to be discussed. At the end of the discussion both of them came to a point that "Everything is in a state of constant transition and it is change which is constant" . ( A very varied, detailed discussion and also showing the thought process of Tulip and her Step - Father)
The last part and my most favourite part is the collection of poems. Such brilliant collection of poems which will definitely give a huge lot of information too. Poems that will touch your soul with different kind of emotions and some are just like wonderful short stories written in the form of poems.My most favourite one being ~Jallianwala Bagh- 100 years. I shall highly recommend this book ✨
Etchings of the first quarter of 2020 start with a collection of letters, some conversations/discussions about Books, Mental health, Environment, Politics, and much more which, centered around the Kolkata Literary Meet and ends with Poems written by the author in the early 2020 and some poems as journal entries. The first part is a letter to his stepdaughter, inviting her to the Kolkata Literary Meet. In this letter, he introduces his new book and also a poem about Duality (which is my personal favorite). The next part is his letter to Suranjana, who he mentions as his sister’s senior appreciating her session on the Kolkata Literary Meet. He also adds views on certain discussions that Suranjana made earlier, that is about the book 'Lolita'. The next part is his conversation with his stepdaughter about the ideas they heard at the Kolkata Literary Meet. Some of them include Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Schizophrenia and split personality, Economics, TS Eliot, Marxism, and more. The last part is his poems of various themes from his past, nature, duality love, and more. Even though, the author talks about diverse topics, the writing style really helps it to come together. It does not seem like reading some random stuff. But some parts in the conversation does not interest me. Personally, I liked how he expressed the concept of Duality, which I really believe. “Yet, we returned to each other in one body Sandy, an angel and I, an untamed beast”. These are the last two lines of his poem about duality. My next personal favorite is his letter to Suranjana, about Lolita and his poem on Death. This is a really short read (71 pages). So, you can pick this book up if you are looking for an easy, light read, which is both informative and enjoyable.
Book : Etchings of first quarter of 2020 Version : Kindle Author : Sabarna Roy
Hand written letters or letter writing have still not lost their charm. The emotions are direct and positive in the hand written letters. With the rage of today’s technology world , it is very rare to develop the habit of letters. Having given this as the introduction , I would like to give you all a glimpse of the book Etchings of first quarter of 2020. Here for the clarity of ideas of the readers , the book is divided in to three parts. The first part is about the letters written by a man to his step-daughter: The father has a different name Babazula and the name of his step-daughter is Tulip. The letters are very candid and creative. The letters carry the hope of positivity and a ray of hope to his daughter. He is proud that his daughter has become intelligent , smart and beautiful. It is very heart-warming to read these letters. The readers feel the strong bond between them. The second part is about the letters written by Sabarna Roy to a lady called Suranjana. Here there is an in depth discussion about the dark matters of the mind. The negative emotions that flood on to take hasty decisions. There is a strong analysis of the novel Lolita and Humbert. To be honest I always have my confusions whether to accept the description of the characters in Lolita. The ideas that are presented in the second part has helped me to understand and analyse the dark characters a lot more. This is like a sequel of the first part of this book. Here is the description of meeting between step-father and step-daughter. The conversations are about various aspects which depicts about the views of the two generations. The writing is simple and gripping. Congratulations to the writer for keeping it so powerful.
Does it happen to you that you enjoy an author's book if you feel his intellectual side is as impressive as his creative?
This happens to me all the time. That's the reason I would always pick Ashwin Sanghi's and Amish Tripathy's books without checking. I don't need to look for reviews for these two authors. This list increased when I read Meena Kandasamy's 'When I hit you'. And I think I am going to add one more Indian author to this list...Sabarna Roy. The varied topics this small book of seventy odd pages covers is remarkable.
Now, coming back to the book....it is a collection of prose and poetry. The prose is written in the form of conversations between a man and his stepdaughter over a cup of coffee. The writer talks about duality and constancy in the beginning. Then he seamlessly shifts to his conversation with his alter-ego Sandy.
The book can be construed as the author's opinion about various topics like Lolita and Anna Karenina (books), schizophrenia, Marxism, marine conservation etc. Believe me, even if the topics seem a little haywire for a collection of prose, you will be amazed to know the writer's in-depth knowledge. The book is well-researched and well-conceptualized.
The poetry part is equally fascinating. Some of it just stayed with me. Quoting my favorite:
On Jalianwala Bagh Massacre
"Dyer entered the garden with his riflemen through the narrow corridor gate
Unfurling like treacherous waves Shooting at the entrances
Whoever ran to exit was hit with bullets – either death or morbid injury, thus fate"
The first part which is in the form of a conversation between a step father and a stepdaughter deals with quite a number of topics that have been discussed earlier but with an altogether different perspective. The second part is poems, mostly in the backdrop of Calcutta. They are quite thoughtful and needs deep understanding, which I was lacking at that point of time. If you are looking for very deep and thoughtful read with abstract ideas and alter egos then I will recommend this book to you.
First and foremost I would mention that I am a regular reader of Sabarna. I have almost all of his book and to be honest if you are reading his work for the first time you might find it little haphazard and irrelevant to each other . But you get into his writing you will notice , his works are not haphazard and irrelevant. They are as honest as they come , it is a a glimpse into something very personal . It is like knowing someone mind . And I really like the fact that most are dated which makes quite easy to connect atleast for me as I am too from Kolkata . Well now coming to this book , it is also similar yet different from his previous works . It is similar because you can still the spontaneous and abruptness in book , yet this one feels like the most personal one. The book is written in a very simple language yet the concept explained are very complex. The character of the author has been beautifully bought out through the dialogues and the letters . Overall I think it was a very interesting and different book , but I wouldn't expect anything less for Sabarna Roy at the same time.
Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 is a book about Letters, Ideas, Conversations and Poems. This can't be categorised as a fiction, a story book or a poetry book as it has all the elements.
To elaborate in detail, the book is divided into two parts:
☘️Duality
☘️Winter Poems 2020.
However, as we dig deeper, we come to know that these two parts are sub-divided into other parts.
✨Duality consists of:
🌷A Letter to a Step-daughter
As the name suggests, this section consists of a letter from Babazula to his daughter Tulip. Now that his stepdaughter is all grown up, he is seeking validation from her for his work and is eager to meet her soon.
The poem that he penned for Tulip was Singularly original and I found it to be rather metaphysical.
🌷A Letter to Suranjana
This depicts the views of the author in a letter that he has written to his sister's senior about a very classic story. While I was not in agreement with his opinion, I have to say that it was written in a very crisp manner. Though, my disagreement might be because the story about which the author has put forth his views is infact a very controversial one, so there won't be many who would share the same opinion on this topic.
🌷Nocturnal Conversation between a Step-father and Step-daughter over desserts and coffee.
This part was again between Babazula and Tulip. It had some random conversations between the father and daughter. They were so impetous, that I had to read it multiple times before they made sense. While the first part was only about the Dad, in this part, we are also made aware about the views of the stepdaughter.
✨WINTER POEMS 2020
As the name suggests, this part consisted of a series of poems starting from 10th of January up until the end of the month. They were written very intricately and I felt like I was reading a story, rather than a piece a poetry, they were that good.
☘️My final thoughts on the book:
If you have been thinking about starting to read poetry, then this book will definitely be a good read for you.
The book fused meaning, sound, and rhythm to create magical world that offered insights into ourselves – and into the unknown.
The author was able to not only pique, but also keep my interest throughout and I was so eager to find what was about to come next.
I found that the writing style of the author was very meticulous, which is hard and so very rare to find these days. This was my first book by this author, but I'm definitely sure that this won't be my last.
I am going to give this book FIVE ETCHINGS STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book: Etchings of the first quarter of 2020. Author: @authorsabarna
The book is basically divided into two elegant volume: 🌻 Letters and conversations part 🌻Winter Poems Part
The protagonist is Babazula. He's married and has a stepdaughter Tulip. 🌻 Letters and conversations part was further divided into three: 🥀Letter to Tulip: Babazula was invited to "Kolkata literary meet" as a panel member to discuss about "Dark side of the mind". So, he wanted to meet his step daughter who's staying there In the letter,Babazula talks about Tulip's mom, her biological father and how she has grown up all these years, and invites her to a coffee session to discuss about duality and marine conservation on which she's venturing into. 🥀 Letter to Suranjana He first thanks Suranjana and gives his opinion on child molesters and violators of women. He then critically analyses the characters Humbert and Lolita. However, his opinion was neither a majority view nor a minority view. 🥀 Conversation between Babazula and Tulip. This part a bit lengthy. They discussed about various social, economical, political and ecological issues. However, the emphasis was laid on schizophrenia and duality concepts.
🌻Winter poems. These poems added more beauty to the book. The poetry collections were random. You could pick any of the poems first and continue to read. My favourite poem was the Alter ego, Sandy. Yup, it's the one comes up first in "Letter to a step-daughter".
The language usage was good. The writing style of the author was moderate and firm. This is why at times you may not feel much engaged. The characters were sketched beautifully. The author had captured the root of problems and tried to lay a neutral view on those issues. You could gather a lot of knowledge within few pages of the book.
And I think it's "not for beginners" book. However, if you want to, you can surely go for it😊.
My wishes to the author @authorsabarna💐
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Book: Etchings Of The First Quarter Of 2020 Author: Sabarna Roy Book Length: 71 pages Genre: Miscellaneous . . If we could only accept one another in all the different views and opinions that are out there, what a different place this world would be. We all have an opinion. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with stating our view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and being free to state it, but remember it is only one opinion. Keep in mind our perspective may not be right and our view may change over time. We should not worry that others see things differently.
I must regards this book as one's opinion. After you read it in detail you'll realise same thing differently yet veracious. This book is segmented into different parts of poems, verses, coffee conversation, letters etc. I've read other novels of Sabarna Roy, and must say she plays with her words, ideas, and delightful perspective. She narrates from a father's side and his wish to meet her step daughter when he visits Kolkata through letter to his daughter. Not only this, he writes a letter to his wife stating his perspective towards child molester. Also, the conversation between father and daughter over a coffee when he meet Tulip. This book takes you to numerous conversation, ideas about specific topic etc. The author narrates about her perspective towards a book named Dark Side of Mind and about the characters. All in all I learnt about duality concept in a very different way and perspective. This will leave you mused with its description.
Some poems in sections are illustrated with the dates. Like Jan 11, Jan 12, Jan 13.. etc. All the poems will grab your attention towards it.
This is a must read book, and I'd recommend everyone to grab this intriguing novel with many many things to feel and understand.
This volume is a minor read distributed into several sectors. Book is a collation of Letters, Verses, Chats and concepts or philosophies of writer taking place on numerous concerns established on dualism. The leading section have three shares – A letter to a Stepdaughter – In this letter writer presented the impression of duality. A letter to Suranajana – In this letter author judgmentally examined the scandalous paperback 'Lolita'. I have read 'Lolita' so, entirely approve the Inspection of writer. Nocturnal Conversation between a Step-father and Step-daughter over desserts and coffee. - This portion was over again stuck between Babazula and Tulip. The aforementioned had several unsystematic dialogues among the dad and offspring. Though the first part was sole about the Father, in this part, we are as well prepared conscious about the opinions of the stepdaughter. Next Portion is recognized as WINTER POEMS 2020.
This portion contained a sequence of poems initial after 10th of January till the finish of the month. They were inscribed complexly. It has poems on Jalianwala Bagh, death and Dr. X. All the verses are great and I appreciated reading them all. The selection of subjects here are unplanned. Author has quotation his random thoughts & emotional state. Content is pretty rich, provides us a portion of material. This book individual involves of 71 piece of paper and will take only just 60 minutes or extreme 2 hours to end, you can finish it in 1 session. Book is mainly a tiny Encyclopedia on several positive, significant and unknown topics. Roy has done excessive study afore writing this book. The writing elegance, which will preserve you intrigued fully and mostly in that Poems sector. Without doubt I will applaud this and recommend this
Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 by Sabarna Roy is consistent of letters, conversation and poems. Book is 71 pages long and it shows the author take on different things.
We all have different takes about different things from books, politics to social life. Author has presented us with her take on different things of life.
The writing is impeccable and love how the author is narrating the things in very own way, which is making it more enjoyable to read.
We can divide the book in three beautiful section to make it more enjoyable.
First part - Letters to stepdaughter and Suranjana
Second part - Nocturnal Conversation between stepfather and Stepdaughter over deserts and coffee
Third part - Winter poems ( My favourite part )
•In first part of letter to his daughter he shares his literary projects, accomplished and upcoming meetings and inviting her to meet over coffee and deserts. He also expression on how happy he is to see her growth and achievement in her field.
In Letter to Suranjana, Suranjana is someone he meet in a presentation of "Dark side of mind". Here he shares he views about the book Lolita and how the character fare in his mind.
•Second part is about when his daughter accepted her invitation and they get talking on different matters he visited on meetings and in general his observation about particular topic.
Here's author take a beautiful take on schizophrenia, that was the highlight for me in the chapter. How people mind work and determination of some disease can have lots of different aspect. How gene affect our nature and life in general. Difference between Duality and Schizophrenia was another brilliant take by author.
There were different takes on Karl Marx books and theories too.
•Third part is the winter poems. This poems are a part of the journal writing of the character. I like the fact that some poems were like a mini story in them, which kept you excited throughout the poem.
Title- Etchings of the first quarter of 2020. Author- Sabarna Roy Genre- Letters, Conversation and Short Poems Pages- Short read of 71 pages.
Etchings of the first quarter of 2020 by Author Sabarna Roy is book about two letters, one conversation and compilation of short poems.
Part A- A letter to Step-daughter Tulip and Father Babazula is letter from Step Father who invites his stepdaughter to meet him over desserts and coffee. This part was emotional, honest and also includes poem at the end of letter which explains duality nature of Human both beast and angel. Here is where I got engaged to the book. Rating- 4/5
Part B- A letter to Suranjana. Here Sabarna has written letter to Suranjana who is his sister's senior. In this letter he firsts congratulates her over session of Dark States of Mind. Later he states his view about character Lolita from novel which also explains how Extremes exists in Human Life. Here I liked how he has made it easier to understand the characters like Lolita, Humbert. The way he relates himself and his daughter to characters and his unique view.
Rating- 4/5
Part C- Nocturnal Conversation between a Stepfather and Step Daughter over desserts and Coffee. I was expecting alot from this part of book as the cover also is about the same. But while reading it didn't feel like a conversation, also I couldn't connect much here.
Rating- 3/5
Lastly, compilation of short poems were beautiful filled with different narratives and Author has uniquely written each one of them.
Rating- 4/5
Over-all if you want to read something different and at the same time wish to gain information then I'll recommend this one. Being a short read of 71 pages, you can complete this one in one sitting. This one was my first book from Author Sabarna Roy. Looking forward to read more of his work and understand his writing skill.
A blend of prose, poetry, letters, random conversations, this book has all. I loved how the author came up with such an idea. The prose is divided into three parts, and I loved how the author talks about mental illnesses like schizophrenia. I was a little uncomfortable while reading the second part of the prose named 'A Letter to Suranjana' where the author discusses the book, Lolita, as I am not fond of Lolita, even though, it's a critically acclaimed book. The author analyses pedophiles, molesters using the novel Lolita. I enjoyed the first part of the prose, which was a letter to a step-daughter. The nocturnal conversation between a step-father and step-daughter was very rich and vivid. It was a delight to read their conversation over a cup of coffee. I was latched into the book henceforth where the father tells the love story of T.S Eliot as she is one of my favorite classic book writers. It was a great delight to understand the bond of a father and daughter, especially when he brings the topic of Marxism. The father also had a conversation about schizophrenia where he says that it is a myth to say having schitzophrenia means having a dual personality. I really appreciate the poetry part, and I loved rereading it. There are twenty poems, and I wish there were more. The poetry had a deep impact on me. I really loved the poetry on Jallianwala Bagh. It was refreshing, and you are bound to feel patriotic after reading it. You will be hooked to the book from the very beginning. The only thing that I didn't like was the cover of the book. The content of the book was entirely different.
My Rating • for the letter and conversation part - 4.5/5 • for the poems - 3.5/5
I would like to review the book in two parts - • for the letters and the conversation - Part A : A letter to a step Daughter A father 'Babazula' wrote a letter to her step Daughter 'Tulip' telling her about his literary projects and meetings and inviting her to meet when he arrive kolkata. It was a short and an honest lettter written to step daughter, telling her about his past and celebrating her creative side and how beautiful and smart she became.
- Part B : A letter to Suranjana Sabarna Da write a letter to Suranjana, in context of a session presented by Suranjana on 'Dark Side of Mind'. Subarna explained his point of view on the book Lolita, and expressed how he sees the character of 'Humbert' and 'Lolita'. This is the best part for me, as I always needed a good insight on whats going inside the mind of these characters.
- Part C - Nocturnal Conversation between a Step-father and Step-daughter over desserts and coffee This is the continuation of the Part A, when her step daughter meet him, and they discuss about 'Duality' and 'Schizophrenia' in detail. I enjoyed reading this part and it helped me to understand the differences between two and know the possible scenarios of these conditions.
• For Winter Poems 2020 All the poems are well penned and have a feeling of storytelling and wriiten in lucid form. My favourite one is - 13 Jan Personally I like poems set in meter or wriiten in free verse, and is kind of fall in between, some verses go with meter while some were abstract. Overall I enjoyed the poems.
The book is mainly divided into 4 sections.. Letter Idea conversation and poems.. Which are- ▪•Part-A: A Letter to a Step-daughter •Part-B: A Letter to Suranjana •Part-C: Nocturnal Conversation between a Step-father and Stepdaughter over desserts and coffee ▪Winter poems
In part A A father wrote a letter to her step Daughter telling her about the invited to Kolkata Literary Meet where is he gonna talk about the Dark Side of the Mind as a panel member... He asks his daughter to meet him during his visit to Kolkata..
In part B he writes letter to Suranjana , a speaker whose seminar he attended About dark parts in mind.. In this he shares his opinion about child molesters.. In this letter the author has mentioned 2 books - Lolita and Anna Karenina... He talks briefly on both the books and if you have read the two books you will well understand what the author is saying and his views on these two books..
In part C Nocturnal conversations between the step- father and step- daughter over a cup of tea and dessert.. this is the meet up that is mentioned in part A Here the author talks about two topics- 'Schizophrenia and Duality..
And finally.. Winter poems This part contains various poems which are differently titled I especially like the Kolkata January 16 2020
The writing of the author is so wonderful and simple at the same time.. The book was really impressed with the writing style of the author.. this was my first book read by him..and I sure will pick up his other works..
The book covers various types of social issues and beautifully portrays it..
I really like the book and would highly recommend it..
When I bid him farewell, he grips me in his embrace and croons in my ears- This winter will pass. . This book was a short read and the title of the book is also amazing. This book is divided into 4 parts. Part 1 is where author writes a letter where a stepdad invites his step daughter to meet when he visits Kolkata. Part 2 is where author writes a letter to the speaker whose siminar he attended about the Dark parts in mind. Part 3 is where author describes about the conversation between a step dad and his daughter when they meet. Part 4 is poetry based on different ranging topics. This book spoke about volumes in different topics such as about the book Lolita and the Author's viewpoint towards it, Anna karenina, Karl marx and his theories, Schizophrenia. Some poems did not really felt like poems, they felt like a mere story telling just in the format of poem. The poems were written in January 2020 when the Author had visited Kolkata. Author's grasp on the language was good however there were two things that made me not like this book very much. Author randomly took up topics to talk about. The letter's did no focus on one particular topic rather those were mere discussions on different topics. For poems, Author has not given titles to poems. Author has written the dates as the titles on when the poems were written.
"One day you will ask me which is more important. My life or yours? I will say mine and you will walk away not knowing that you are my life." ~Etchings of the first quarter of 2020 by Sabarna Roy
This book is a collection of letters, conversations, ideas and poems. This is my third book by the same author. What fascinates me the most is that he has the courage to try each and every genre. It's difficult to be so versatile. I really appreciate this trait of the author. But what I love the most about his writing is the metaphors that he creates in his poems. His poems always touch my heart and make me feel magical.
In literal sense, 'Etching' is the art of producing an image from a metal plate into which an image or text has been engraved with acid. The author has surely done justice with the title by imprinting vivid images in our minds after going through all the sections of this book. The book is divided into two sectionss. The first section is 'Duality' in which there are three parts which are: A. A letter to a step-daughter B. A letter to Suranjana C. Nocturnal conversation between a step-father and a step-daughter over desserts and coffee The letters and conversations are quite unusual. They are mostly about the concepts of duality and constancy. These conversations are not as ordinary as the conversations we generally have over coffee. The topics are quite diverse which extend from discussions on different fictional characters to climate changes and marine conservation. The second section is 'Winter Poems 2020'. This is my favourite because I love the way in which the author presents his thoughts in the form of poems. In these poems, Roy and his alter ego Sandy, soothe and shock you in turns until you burst out of the last page breathless asking for more.
It looks like a really short read of 71 pages, but once you start reading it, you will find it to be a lot. I generally take a day or two to finish poetry books, but this time I couldn't do that. The conversations need a lot of attention as they are really intellectual and require your proper attention if you wish to gain the gist of it all aptly. I don't think it's beginner friendly, but if you are a reader then you should definitely give it a try.
This book is the exquisite collection of the letters, thoughts and poems. It is mainly divided into 3 parts. 1st part : Letter from step father to step daughter where he invited her to meet him when he visits Kolkata. 2nd part : Letter to Suranjana ( speaker of event he attended) 3rd part : Conversation between step dad and step daughter when they met. It also has an addition of Winter poems as next part.
The book is a clear reflection of what happens in life of an ordinary person and how he reacts to it. I really like that these thoughts are considered from a point of view of an ordinary person.
I like the concept of book. It is about father - daughter relationship. It represents the thoughts of the author in the form of letters and poems.
The Winter poems covers a wide range of feelings. The title of fourth part is totally appropriate according to the intensity and deep meaning of the words and emotions.
Only minus point for book is that the topics are randomly picked. There is no focus on a particular topic. Although the topics chosen are really important and great one.
Person looking for a short read and book full of emotions should give it a try.
Title - Etchings of the First Quarter 2020 Author - Sabarna Roy Pages - 71 Format - kindle . . This is my 6th book from the author. This short book is a collection of letters, ideas, conversations and poems. This book is divided into two volumes - 1. Duality 2. Winter poems 2020 Duality is further divided into 3 parts - Part A - a letter to a step daughter Part B - a letter to Suranjana Part C - Nocturnal conversation between a step father and step daughter over desserts and coffee. The cover of the book is well designed and the title suits the content. The plot of each poem is very eternal and sensible. The author has amazingly narrated each topic and specially the book. The poems are thoughtful, realistic,dark and unique instead of title they have dates. The author has used metaphors and philosophy. He has highlighted on superstitious on schizophrenia. This is nothing but split personality. Hats off to the author for writing on such topics and making people aware. He also talked about anthropogenic evils.
My favorite poems on death, Jalianwala Bagh and on patriotism. Overall, a touching and informative read. . . Rating - 4/5 . . I recommend this book to all those who wants to read something different.
It’s a short read that can almost take less than an hour. So my reviews will also be super quick. I have read this author’s work so I had to pick it up. The book is divided into parts. The first is a letter to a step daughter, next is a letter to Suranjana, next is nocturnal conversations between step father and step daughter over coffee and at the end there is collection of winter poems. I liked the letter series as they directly came from author’s heart. The emotions are pure in it. Poetry section is also good. Poems and verses are written in free style. Author has taken some delicate relationships to present her views. I liked language and vocabulary used by author. Poetries could be better by following certain grammatical rules but language and emotions compensated that. Author has tried to focus certain personal, psychological, social issues that can be related to every with her this book so I appreciate her efforts. Following lines and poetry is my most favourite. I want to share few lines here that can give you idea about the book.
“I broke Sandy’s arms I broke Sandy’s spinal chord I broke Sandy’s legs I hammered Sandy’s Adam’s apple with a spanner I put a rusted rod through his spleen and lungs With a stick I fractured his pelvic girdle”