Sunil Gangopadhyay

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Sunil Gangopadhyay, taken at Urbana, Illinois
Sunil Gangopadhyay, taken at Urbana, Illinois

Sunil Gangopadhyay (Bangla: সুনীল গঙ্গোপাধ্যায় Shunil Gônggopaddhae) was born on 7 September 1934 in Faridpur in what is now Bangladesh is an Indian poet. Sunil obtained his Master's degree in Bengali from the University of Calcutta in 1954. He has been associated with the Ananda Bazar group, a major publishing house in Kolkata, for many years, and after serving five years as the Vice President he is currently the President of the Sahitya Akademi.

Author of well over 200 books, Sunil is a prolific writer who has excelled in different genres but declares poetry to be his "first love". He was the founder editor of Krittibas, a seminal poetry magazine that became a platform for a new generation of poets experimenting with many new forms in poetic themes, rhythms, and words. His Nikhilesh and Neera series of poems (some of which have been translated as For You, Neera and Murmur in the Woods) have been extremely popular.

As in poetry, Sunil is known for his unique style in prose. Arjun, Pratidwandi, filmed by Satyajit Ray (English title: The Adversary), Aranyer Din-Raatri (The Days and Nights of the Forest, also filmed by Satyajit Ray), Abar Aranya (filmed by Gautam Ghosh), Ekaa ebong Koyekjon are some of his well known works of fiction. His historical fiction Sei Somoy (translated into English by Aruna Chakravorty as Those Days) received the Indian Sahitya Akademi award in 1985. Sei Somoy continues to be a best seller more than a decade after its first publication. The same is true for Pratham Alo (also translated recently by Aruna Chakravorty as First Light), another best selling historical fiction and Purbo-Paschim, a raw depiction of the partition and its aftermath seen through the eyes of three generations of Bengalis in West Bengal, Bangladesh and elsewhere. He is also the winner of the Bankim Puraskar (1982), and the Ananda Puraskar (twice).

Sunil has written (and still writes) in many other genres including travelogues, children's fiction, short stories, features, and essays. Among his pen-names are: Nil Lohit, Sanatan Pathak, and Nil Upadhyay.

Though he has written all types of children's fiction, one character created by him that stands out above the rest, is Kakababu, the crippled adventurist, accompanied by his young adult nephew Shantu, and his friend Jojo. Since 1974, Sunil Gangopadhyay has written over 35 novels of this popular series, most of which appeared in Anandamela magazine.


[edit] Some Books

  • Aranyer Din Ratri
  • Sei Samay
  • Rokto
  • Arjun
  • Purush
  • Agniputro
  • Sorol Satya
  • Byaktigoto
  • Pratidwandi
  • Mohaprithibi
  • Roktomangsho
  • Atmoprokash, his first novel
  • Bandhubandhab, unusual work on friendship
  • Purba-Paschim (1, 2), epic book on east and west Bengal
  • Jeeban Je Rakam
  • Ardhek Manobi
  • Bondhubandhob
  • Atmoprokash - the first prosaic writing of Sunil, who originally was poet only.
  • Kakababu Series - The best in the adventures....

[edit] External links