Sandipan Chattopadhyay
Sandipan Chattopadhyay | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born |
Howrah, Bengal Presidency, British India | 25 October 1933
Died |
12 December 2005 72) Kolkata, West Bengal, India | (aged
Occupation | Writer |
Language | Bengali |
Nationality | Indian |
Citizenship | Indian |
Education | Bachelor of Arts |
Alma mater | University of Calcutta |
Literary movement | Anti-establishment, Hungryalist Movement |
Notable works | Aami O Banabihari (আমি ও বনবিহারী),Dhangsher Madhya Diye Jatra (ধ্বংস্বের মধ্য দিয়ে যাত্রা) |
Notable awards | Sahitya Akademi Award (2002), Bankim Puraskar (1995) |
Spouse |
Rina Chattopadhyay (m. 1965) |
Children | Trina Chattopadhyay (b. 1966) |
Sandipan Chattopadhyay (25 October 1933 – 12 December 2005) was an Indian Bengali writer.[1] His 1961 book "Kritadas Kritadasi" changed the landscape of Bengali fiction and made his name. A staunch anti-establishment figure and a supporter of creative freedom, Sandipan for some time refused association with the big Bengali publishing houses.
He was one of the pioneers of the Hungryalism Movement হাংরি আন্দোলন, also known as the Hungry generation, during 1961–65, though he, along with Binoy Majumdar, Shakti Chattopadhyay quit the movement over literary differences with fellow members Malay Roy Choudhury, Subimal Basak, Tridib Mitra and Samir Roychoudhury.
He was awarded the Sahitya Academy award for his book Ami O Banabihari. He died after a prolonged respiratory illness in December 2005.
Some of his best known writings include Cholerar Dingulite Prem (lit: Love in the Time of Cholera), "Shaper Chocker Bhitor Diye" (short story), Kukur Samparke Duto Ekta Katha Ja Ami Jani, "Seishab Dinratri" (short story), Hiroshima, My Love, Astitva Atithi Tumi and Esho Nipabane.
Literary career
Sandipan's first publication was a book of short stories, ‘Kritadash Kritadashi’ (1961); his second collection of short stories ‘Shamabeto Protiddwandi o Anyanyo’ was published after a hiatus of nine years. In the late 1960s he initiated a series of self-published works, including ‘Biplab O Rajmohon (1969)’, ‘Shomen Paliter Boibahik (1970)’ and ‘25she Boishakher Shurjo (1970)’. Called ‘the prince of little magazines’ by friend and fellow poet Shakti Chattopadhyay, Sandipan’s novel ‘Ekhon Amar Kono Ashukh Nei’ was published in the annual Anandabazar Patrika in 1977, after which his novels and short stories were published by big houses such as Protikhhon and Ajkal.
Sandipan joined Ajkal as an employee in the 1980s and his novels became a regular feature in the Pujo-shankhyas of Ajkal from then on until his death. As the Ajkal edition of his complete novels testifies, he received two of the most coveted awards of the literary establishment — Bankim Purashkar in 1995 and Shahityo Academy Purashkar in 2002.[2] As representative of an aggressively experimental postmodernist avant-garde, Sandipan Chattopadhyay alternated between the mainstream and the parallelstream, the establishment and the anti-establishment, blurring their distinctions in the process.
Career in Newspaper
Sandipan Chattopadhyay worked as an editorial assistant with Aajkaal Daily from its inception in 1981. There, he pioneered the publishing of images and letters to the editor. He continued his association with Aajkaal until his death. He published several works of fiction for this paper's Sarod (Annual) edition, which later became best-selling novels.
List of Works
Novels
Name of Book | Year Published |
---|---|
Ekak Pradarshani (একক প্রদর্শনী) | 1971 |
Ekhon Amar Kono Asukh Nei (এখন আমার কোনো অসুখ নেই) | 1977 |
Aami Arab Gurrela Der Samarthan Kori (আমি আরব গেরিলাদের সমর্থন করি) | 1985 |
Jungleer Dinratri (জঙ্গলের দিনরাত্রি) | 1988 |
Hiroshima, My Love (হিরোসিমা মাই লাভ) | 1989 |
Astitva Atithi Tumi (অস্তিত্ব, অতিথি তুমি) | 1990 |
Kukur Samparke Duto Ekta Katha Ja Ami Jani (কুকুর সম্পর্কে দুটো একটা কথা যা আমি জানি) | 1991 |
Cholerar Dingulite Prem (কলেরার দিনগুলিতে প্রেম) | 1992 |
Rikter Jatrai Jago (রিক্তের যাত্রায় জাগো) | 1993 |
Rubi Kakhan Asbe (রুবি কখন আসবে) | 1993 |
Ekhon Jibon Anek Satej Sasthye Bhara (এখন জীবন অনেক সতেজ স্বাস্থ্যে ভরা) | 1994 |
Eso Nipabane (এসো, নীপবনে) | 1995 |
Kolkatar Dinratri (কলকাতার দিনরাত্রি) | 1996 |
Kolkata, Tumi Kar? (কলকাতা, তুমি কার) | 1997 |
Kollage (কোলাজ) | 1998 |
Bharatbarsha (ভারতবর্ষ) | 1999 |
Aami O Banabihari (আমি ও বনবিহারী) | 2000 |
Jakhan Sabai Chilo Garbhobati (যখন সবাই ছিল গর্ভবতী) | 2001 |
Double Bed e Eka (ডাবল বেডে একা) | 2001 |
Swarger Nirjon Upakule (স্বর্গের নির্জন উপকূলে) | 2003 |
Nisiddho Swapner Diary (নিষিদ্ধ স্বপ্নের ডায়েরী) | 2003 |
Dhangsher Madhya Diye Jatra (ধ্বংস্বের মধ্য দিয়ে যাত্রা) | 2004 |
Short Story Collections
- Kritadas Kritadasi (ক্রীতদাস-ক্রীতদাসী) (1961)
- Samabeto Pratidwandhi O Ananya (সমবেত প্রতিদ্বন্দ্ধী ও অন্যান্য) (1969)
- Han Priyotama (হ্যাঁ প্রিয়তমা)
- Ek Je Chilo Dewal (এক যে ছিল দেয়াল)
- Sonali Danar Eagle (সোনালী ডানার ঈগল)
Awards and honours
Awards
- 1995: Bankim Puraskar
- 2002: Sahitya Akademi Award for the book Aami O Banabihari
Personal life
Sandipan was the seventh child of Upendranath Chattopadhyay and Narayani Chattopadhyay. In 1965 he married Rina Chattopadhyay. Trina Chattopadhyay, their only child, was born in 1966.