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Dear Reader: A Writer's Memoir
'One of India's finest writers looks back on a long and eventful literary journey - through changing times and a changing India' - Ruskin Bond Sankar's life as a writer began when he decided to honour his deceased employer, Noel Barwell, by writing a book-building a statue or naming a road after Barwell weren't feasible options. The result was the novel Kato Ajanare ( The Great Unknown ). Although he was dismissed by his peers as a 'one-book writer' and told he wouldn't amount to anything in the world of literature, he persevered, creating an oeuvre that boasts, among others, bestsellers like Chowringhee , Jana Aranya ( The Middleman ) and Seemabaddha ( Limited Company ). In Dear Reader , originally published as Eka Eka Ekashi in Bengali, Sankar reflects on his own life. From his mother and grandmother to his teachers and headmasters, he writes fondly of the women and men who shaped his youth; and of legendary figures like Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Sibram Chakraborty and Sunil Gangopadhyay who stroll in and out of famous neighbourhoods like Howrah Station, College Street Boipara, Burrabazar. Superbly translated by Arunava Sinha, this is Sankar's love letter to an ever-changing city and its people.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2023
9 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Sankar
158 books179 followersShankar's real name is Mani Shankar Mukherjee. Sankar is a very popular writer in the Bengali language. He grew up in Howrah district of West Bengal, India.
Shankar's father died while Shankar was still a teenager, as a result of which Shankar became a clerk to the last British barrister of the Calcutta High Court, Noel Frederick Barwell. The experience of working under Mr. Barwell provided the material for his first book Koto Ojanare (কত অজানারে), translated as The Great Unknown.
During 1962, Shankar conceived the idea of writing the novel Chowringhee on a rainy day at the waterlogged crossing of Central Avenue and Dalhousie - a busy business district in the heart of Kolkata.
Many of Shankar's works have been made into films. Some notable ones are - Chowringhee, Jana Aranya (জন-অরণ্য, translated as The Middleman) and Seemabaddha (সীমাবদ্ধ, out of which the last two were directed by Satyajit Ray.
Shankar's father died while Shankar was still a teenager, as a result of which Shankar became a clerk to the last British barrister of the Calcutta High Court, Noel Frederick Barwell. The experience of working under Mr. Barwell provided the material for his first book Koto Ojanare (কত অজানারে), translated as The Great Unknown.
During 1962, Shankar conceived the idea of writing the novel Chowringhee on a rainy day at the waterlogged crossing of Central Avenue and Dalhousie - a busy business district in the heart of Kolkata.
Many of Shankar's works have been made into films. Some notable ones are - Chowringhee, Jana Aranya (জন-অরণ্য, translated as The Middleman) and Seemabaddha (সীমাবদ্ধ, out of which the last two were directed by Satyajit Ray.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 19, 2021
শংকরবাবুর জীবনের ঘটনাগুলো ১,২,৩,৪,৫....এভাবে না হয়ে বায়োগ্রাফিটা হয়েছে ১,৩,২,৫,৪ এরকম করে।
তবুও পড়তে ভালো লেগেছে। শংকর মানেই ভাষার চমৎকার গাথুনি। শব্দের অনন্ত মালাগাথা।
বাবাকে হারিয়ে বখে যাওয়ার প্রচুর সুযোগ থাকার পরও তিনি সেই পথে পা বাড়াননি ...
সমবয়সী বন্ধুর মত পিঠ চাপড়ে বলতে ইচ্ছে করে সাব্বাশ মায়ের ছেলে।
একই ঘটনার রিপিটেশনে বিরক্ত লাগেনি শুধু মনে হয়েছে পৃষ্ঠাগুলো বৃথা গেল।
সব মিলিয়ে ভাল্লাগছে।
তবুও পড়তে ভালো লেগেছে। শংকর মানেই ভাষার চমৎকার গাথুনি। শব্দের অনন্ত মালাগাথা।
বাবাকে হারিয়ে বখে যাওয়ার প্রচুর সুযোগ থাকার পরও তিনি সেই পথে পা বাড়াননি ...
সমবয়সী বন্ধুর মত পিঠ চাপড়ে বলতে ইচ্ছে করে সাব্বাশ মায়ের ছেলে।
একই ঘটনার রিপিটেশনে বিরক্ত লাগেনি শুধু মনে হয়েছে পৃষ্ঠাগুলো বৃথা গেল।
সব মিলিয়ে ভাল্লাগছে।
May 7, 2021
শংকরের অন্য বইয়ের তুলনায় আহামরি কিছু না। এটার জন্য কীভাবে উনি সাহিত্য অকাদেমি পুরস্কার পেলেন জানি না!
February 1, 2023
'What we need is acknowledgement... I have found succour repeatedly amidst strangers... Basking in their general love and affection has enabled me to survive...'
It is in these lines we find the heart and soul of the Bengali writer Shankar, who discovered himself in the lives and works of other people and rise as a literary star of contemporary Indian literature. His memoir, translated by @arunavasinha , reads like vignettes from the early 20th century until present brought together in titled chapters where we, his readers, see both the writer and his city. From the first page, I could see the writer coming to me in private and tell me about his life before age makes him forget it all. I could sense the urgency, the vulnerability with which he opens himself in these pages. One can't but put everything aside and listen to the story of this prolific man who had come from a family of economic depravity, of seeing death of the father so early on, and of finding knowledge in the lanes and hubbub of 1940s-50s Howrah. In retrospection, he finds himself, the 79 y/o writer too, travelling back to the memories of his childhood spent in Howrah at the Basu house next door where he learnt the lessons of discipline, honesty and commitment. And then his white employer, Mr. Barwell, who saw in the young Shankar the extraordinariness, the capability to do something big in life. Sigh, what else would a young person want than someone of importance to see the potential in them, to tell them how much more they are than what they seem to be! There were moments I had teared up because the anecdotes and the writing emotionally drew me in to his life as a man who wanted to write, who never wanted to stop, who didn't care about money to be a writer but simply wanted to write and put his work out into the world. This boy from Howrah whom nobody knew save his family, neighbours and colleagues rose to literary eminence by hard hard work . Besides, I loved his critique on the Kolkata-Howrah nexus. I shot with excitement when I read his comment on the 'City of Joy' debacle. For my MA dissertation, I had made a similar remark with equal disdain! If anything, everyone should definitely read the chapters 'Salaam Calcutta' and 'My Howrah'. They read like independent essays and I must admit- some of the best on the two cities. Now, I shall stop here and urge you to pick this book up even if this is the first book by the author you are reading (it was the first for me and now I know I am going to read all this works that are translated into English). Thanks a ton to @HarperCollinsIn for the review copy!
It is in these lines we find the heart and soul of the Bengali writer Shankar, who discovered himself in the lives and works of other people and rise as a literary star of contemporary Indian literature. His memoir, translated by @arunavasinha , reads like vignettes from the early 20th century until present brought together in titled chapters where we, his readers, see both the writer and his city. From the first page, I could see the writer coming to me in private and tell me about his life before age makes him forget it all. I could sense the urgency, the vulnerability with which he opens himself in these pages. One can't but put everything aside and listen to the story of this prolific man who had come from a family of economic depravity, of seeing death of the father so early on, and of finding knowledge in the lanes and hubbub of 1940s-50s Howrah. In retrospection, he finds himself, the 79 y/o writer too, travelling back to the memories of his childhood spent in Howrah at the Basu house next door where he learnt the lessons of discipline, honesty and commitment. And then his white employer, Mr. Barwell, who saw in the young Shankar the extraordinariness, the capability to do something big in life. Sigh, what else would a young person want than someone of importance to see the potential in them, to tell them how much more they are than what they seem to be! There were moments I had teared up because the anecdotes and the writing emotionally drew me in to his life as a man who wanted to write, who never wanted to stop, who didn't care about money to be a writer but simply wanted to write and put his work out into the world. This boy from Howrah whom nobody knew save his family, neighbours and colleagues rose to literary eminence by hard hard work . Besides, I loved his critique on the Kolkata-Howrah nexus. I shot with excitement when I read his comment on the 'City of Joy' debacle. For my MA dissertation, I had made a similar remark with equal disdain! If anything, everyone should definitely read the chapters 'Salaam Calcutta' and 'My Howrah'. They read like independent essays and I must admit- some of the best on the two cities. Now, I shall stop here and urge you to pick this book up even if this is the first book by the author you are reading (it was the first for me and now I know I am going to read all this works that are translated into English). Thanks a ton to @HarperCollinsIn for the review copy!
December 30, 2023
A Writer's Memoir is an autobiographical account of Sankar's life as a writer, detailing his rise from clerk to the last British lawyer of the Calcutta High Court, Noel Barwell. The book pays tribute to his inspirations, including his mother, grandmother, instructors, and headmasters. Translator Aruava Sinha, an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Ashoka University, translated the novel into English. Sankar's writing style is characterized by vivid descriptions and personal stories, often drawing on his own experiences. The book is a work of translation, with a chapter titled 'Dear Reader'.
March 29, 2023
This is a collection of essays/memoir, that deals with a wide spectrum of topics. Well-translated book as well.
August 19, 2023
Excellent
February 28, 2023
This is a collection of essays from the author reflecting back on his success, Bengali literature, and the influences of his writing. It was an interesting read.
I enjoyed some essays more than others. The essays that were about the author’s childhood, his family, and influences at school were my favorite. In these, I felt like the reader was transported to the time and place, getting a sense of how these inputs influenced the writer. I also found interesting the history of the author’s first influential job with a barrister of English background. In this we caught a glimpse of the author working with an English barrister who the author admired, enough so that he wrote his first book as a tribute to him. As a reader I found myself wanting more of this most interesting relationship between young Bengali clerk and elder English barrister and how it influenced him enough that he wrote his first and one of his best known books by him.
My only detraction in this read is its repetitive nature. Because it is a collection of essays, there is a fair bit of repetition. The same memories are shared several times slightly altered. Especially when the author was talking about being a “one book author” this took on the feeling almost of a psychological condition….the way it reads he is obsessed with imposter syndrome and being not enough…burdened with fear about being a one book author. Given that most of these essays were written later in his career after he had become one of the most successful Bengali writers ever, it got a little boring and felt like a person asking for praise rather than reflecting honestly on how he felt at the time. I think that might have been related to too many essays that covered the same ground which would have benefited from editing.
I loved the idea that its a love letter to his readers. That was probably my favorite essay…how he sees his readers.
I enjoyed some essays more than others. The essays that were about the author’s childhood, his family, and influences at school were my favorite. In these, I felt like the reader was transported to the time and place, getting a sense of how these inputs influenced the writer. I also found interesting the history of the author’s first influential job with a barrister of English background. In this we caught a glimpse of the author working with an English barrister who the author admired, enough so that he wrote his first book as a tribute to him. As a reader I found myself wanting more of this most interesting relationship between young Bengali clerk and elder English barrister and how it influenced him enough that he wrote his first and one of his best known books by him.
My only detraction in this read is its repetitive nature. Because it is a collection of essays, there is a fair bit of repetition. The same memories are shared several times slightly altered. Especially when the author was talking about being a “one book author” this took on the feeling almost of a psychological condition….the way it reads he is obsessed with imposter syndrome and being not enough…burdened with fear about being a one book author. Given that most of these essays were written later in his career after he had become one of the most successful Bengali writers ever, it got a little boring and felt like a person asking for praise rather than reflecting honestly on how he felt at the time. I think that might have been related to too many essays that covered the same ground which would have benefited from editing.
I loved the idea that its a love letter to his readers. That was probably my favorite essay…how he sees his readers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews