Galpamala 5 by Narendra Nath Mitra [Hardcover]

The short story is a source of pride in Bengali literature, and the pride of Bengali short stories is Narendra Nath Mitra. Abu Sayid Ayub identified one of his stories as "elevated to the level of the greatest story in the world." Contemporary renowned short story writer Santosh Kumar Ghosh placed him alongside Maupassant, O. Henry, Chekhov, and Rabindranath in the highest ranks of storytelling. In fact, Narendra Nath Mitra's place in Bengali short stories had already been firmly established long ago. From the very beginning of his writer's life, he was exceptional. Over the course of nearly four decades, he wrote around five hundred stories, a number larger than his novels. His short story collections outnumber his novels. In these stories, contemporary life is immortalized.

Unfortunately, for a long time, Narendra Nath Mitra's collections were scarce. There are also numerous unpublished stories. However, his works are still in high demand by dedicated readers, researchers, and filmmakers. To cater to that demand, collections of fifty stories each have been published under the title Galpamala (The Story Garland). Four volumes have already been released, and the fifth volume continues the series, featuring fifty unforgettable stories that were nearly lost but are essential to his reputation as a short story writer. These are the stories for which Mitra earned his fame and through which his substantial value can be assessed.

This anthology does not have an introduction. Instead, it includes one of Narendra Nath's own writings titled Bhal Lagaa Na Lagaa (Whether It Feels Good or Not), which reflects on the nature of enjoying or not enjoying stories. Like the previous four volumes, the stories in this volume are arranged in chronological order of when they were written. Each story includes the year it was written, as well as the reference to the publication where it first appeared. In the editor’s note, Abhijit Mitra has provided relevant information about the selected stories, along with personal reflections by the author on his own work.