Ri by Tilottama Majumdar [Hardcover]

Sometimes, just as the boundaries between prose and poetry blur in a writer’s successful work, can the very essence of characters in a story or novel be torn apart, shaking the foundations of achievement? ‘ঋ’ is such a brilliant example. In this collection, Tilottama Majumdar, though a newcomer to the literary world, has created a significant stir among readers right from her debut. This anthology is enriched with twenty-five short stories, four novellas, and one long prose composition, written between 1996 and November 2003, showcasing incredible range and depth in both subject matter and narrative style. The story titled ‘ঋ’ is the longest and is Tilottama’s first substantial prose work. While it may appear like a novel, its sharp, focused approach to storytelling gives it the piercing intensity of a short story. The narrative of ‘ঋ’ unfolds through the central character Binita, exploring her childhood and the profound milestones of her second motherhood. The story provokes inevitable questions and resistance that strike the reader with the force of a whip. The four novellas—Silhouette, Anjalika Kima’r Upasanghar, Swastayan, and Horiyal Uray Jay—blur the lines between short story and novel, leaving the reader questioning what genre to classify them under. The twenty-five short stories in the collection repeatedly remind the reader of the author’s mastery and distinctive narrative power. By now, Tilottama's readers are well aware of her unique strength—her remarkable, almost brutal use of language. Each story's construction is so astonishing that it leaves the reader frozen, compelled to reconsider the writer’s age. The writer's experience seems to converge with the reader’s own, creating a sense of silent, intense unity. The characters—such as the Magan Domi’s wife in the story Domoni, the pregnant young woman in Fern, or the enigmatic madman in Merudondo—become eternal in their lived experiences within Bengali literature. But perhaps even more striking is Tilottama’s language, which, while reading, feels as if it stops your breath. The emotion that rises isn't just tears, but the very blood of life itself.