“So much darkness”: Looking for the Light in Bitan Chakraborty’s The Mark, by Indrajit Bose

Book Reviews Indrajit Bose The author at the Zakir Hussain Delhi College during the Bengali Literary Festival 2018 / Photo courtesy of bitanchakraborty.com Simplicity and quiet elegance never fail to impress us. The effect of a good short story often is like a fugue or an adagio in a musical composition, creating impressions fugitifs, in the best manner of the impressionists, sketching in a mood or elaborating on a motif or theme. Bitan Chakraborty’s The Mark (Shambhabi Imprint, 2020) is unquestionably a collection of short stories revolving around the everyday lives of ordinary characters that leaves an impression of serious engagement with the contemporary Indian milieu and is also aesthetically pleasing. Chakraborty is already an established author of the novel; his foray into the short story adds a further dimension to his existing repertoire. A writer must “convincingly create an illusory world if he is to captivate his readers,” Chakraborty has said, and he appears to have lived up to his aesthetic or writerly principles in The Mark. Peripheral and marginal lives lived by characters grappling with the challenging socioeconomic realities of our times, mediated with narratorial control and poise—these are what make the stories in The Mark a testament to the craft of a storyteller and short fiction writer par excellence. The stories in the collection revolve around everyday life and broad human themes—the despair and... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2020-04-21 13:18:37 UTC ]
News tagged with: #short stories #literary festival

Other news stories related to: "“So much darkness”: Looking for the Light in Bitan Chakraborty’s The Mark, by Indrajit Bose"


Panel Mania: Tiny Dancer by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel

Siena and her artist-husband Mark revisit her 2006 young readers memoir 'To Dance' in 'Tiny Dancer', a new and more expansive autobiographical work for older readers on her passion for dance and her career in ballet. An eight-page excerpt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #eight-page excerpt #older readers


One More Chapter acquires three more from Wood in DCI Matilda Darke series

One More Chapter has acquired three new titles in the DCI Matilda Darke thriller series by Michael Wood. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-21 19:16:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Bose's QuietComfort 45 headphones drop to $279, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

We're officially one week out from Black Friday and it seems most retailers have launched at least a portion of their deals and sales already. You can find the exhaustive list on our deals homepage, but we've gathered the highlights here. Bose's new QuietComfort 45 headphones remain on sale for... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-11-19 16:45:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #kindle #affiliate commission #editorial team #products recommended #@engadgetdeals #connected devices #no-logs policy #normal rate #popular programs


PRH launches global campaign marking 120 years of Peter Rabbit

Penguin Random House Children's is to launch a programme of commemorative publishing next year, in celebration of the 120th anniversary of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-11 17:06:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #penguin random house #beatrix potter #peter rabbit


Cosy crime expands market for dark thrillers with both booming, editors and agents say

Cosy crime has boomed in the last year but there is still space for the psychological thriller, according to agents and editors, who describe a general appetite for crime and escapism that has flourished under lockdown.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-08 15:43:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #psychological thriller


Gary Shteyngart’s ‘Our Country Friends’ is the darkly brilliant comedy we need right now

Caustic irony mixed with poignancy and melancholy are an effective tonic for coping with pandemic fatigue. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-02 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #gary shteyngart


Cassandra Peterson finally drags Elvira, L.A.'s spookiest icon, out of the dark

Halloween queen opens up in memoir about alter ego Elvira, troubling encounters with Wilt Chamberlain and Tom Jones, and the relationship she hid for years. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-10-29 16:45:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir


Mark Cavendish Tour de France account snapped up by Ebury Spotlight

Ebury Spotlight will publish Tour de Force, Mark Cavendish's "dramatic personal account" of how he equalled the record for the most Tour de France stage wins of all time. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-19 05:11:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebury spotlight


Allison & Busby to publish Webb's 'dark and quirky' debut

Allison & Busby has picked up Liz Webb’s debut The Daughter, a "dark and quirky" thriller.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-18 21:38:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #allison busby


Hardie Grant reveals further acquisitions at new children's imprint Bright Light

Australian independent publishing house Hardie Grant has revealed more new titles it will issue through its recently launched UK children's imprint Bright Light. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-06 10:02:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #independent publishing


Jonathan Franzen’s ‘Crossroads’ represents a marked evolution in a dazzling career

“Crossroads” explores the spiritual costs of hatred and humiliation among a family of five. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #dazzling career #jonathan franzen


Remember Elvira? The mistress of the dark is still here, and she has some bombshells to drop.

Cassandra Peterson’s memoir, “Yours Cruelly, Elvira,” is as engrossingly odd as her career has been. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-28 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Cundill History Prize shortlist 'shines light' on race and empire

The eight shortlisted books for this year's Cundill History Prize shine a light on race, class, empire, revolution and memory, showing "the range and insight of current history writing". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-23 10:34:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #shortlisted books #shines light


Ian Rankin took on the challenge of finishing his mentor’s book. The result is a darkly beautiful novel.

“The Dark Remains” captures perfectly the voice of the late William McIlvanney, master of Tartan Noir. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-22 06:11:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ian rankin


OUP unveils new logo to mark digital-first shift

Oxford University Press (OUP) has launched new branding to mark its move towards becoming a digital-first business.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-06 10:52:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #oxford university press


Trapeze pre-empts Rothchild's 'compulsive and darkly funny' debut

Trapeze has pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights for Blood Sugar, the debut novel from Emmy-nominated screenwriter Sascha Rothchild. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-19 02:30:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #debut novel #darkly funny


New Island releases 'landmark anthology' to mark centenary of partition of Ireland

New Island is releasing a "landmark anthology" of new writing to mark the centenary of partition and the renewed international focus on the Irish border. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-14 09:35:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #irish border


10th anniversary of ISNI marked with virtual event

The 10th anniversary of the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) will be celebrated with the ISNI International Agency’s first ever international event this September.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-11 17:06:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #international event #international standard #virtual event #10th anniversary


No, Cormac McCarthy Isn’t on Twitter. Don’t Be Fooled by the Check Mark.

An account posing as the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Road,” “No Country for Old Men” and “All the Pretty Horses” was mistakenly verified by Twitter. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-08-02 21:48:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #prize-winning author


Zen and the Art of Children's Books: Spotlight on Mark Brown

The author’s Zen Pig series shows children the importance of gratitude, presence, and compassion with clear writing and touching artwork. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |