Sunil Gangopadhyay

"Sunil Ganguly" redirects here. For the guitarist, see Sunil Ganguly (musician).

Sunil Gangopadhyay
Sunil Gangopadhyay image
Gangopadhyay in 2010
Born(1934-09-07)7 September 1934
Madaripur, Bengal Presidency, British India
(now in Bangladesh)
Died23 October 2012(2012-10-23) (aged 78)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Pen nameNil Lohit, Sanatan Pathak, and Nil Upadhyay[1]
Occupation
  • Poet
  • novelist
  • short story writer
  • historian
  • journalist
LanguageBengali
NationalityIndian
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
Period1953–2012
Literary movementKrittibas
Confessional poetry
Notable works
Notable awardsAnanda Puraskar (1972, 1989)
Sahitya Akademi Award (1985)
Spouse
Swati Bandopadhyay
​
(m. 1967)​
[2]
ChildrenSouvik Gangopadhyay (b. 1967)[2]
Signature
Sunil Gangopadhyay signature in Bengali

Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (7 September 1934 – 23 October 2012)[1] was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic in the Bengali language.[3][4] He was one of the foremost poets experimenting with new forms, themes, rhythms, and words in Bengali poetry in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953, along with Deepak Majumder and Ananda Bagchi, he founded the Bengali poetry magazine, Krittibas.[3] He is regarded as one of the most prolific and popular writers in Bengali since Rabindranath Tagore.[5][6][7]

He is best known for his novels Atmaprakash (1964), Aranyer Din Ratri, Sei Somoy, Pratham Alo (1996), and Purba Paschim; travelogues Payer Tolay Sorshe (Vol. 1 and 2); the poetry collections Eka ebong Koekjon (1958), Ami Ki Rokom Vabe Beche Achi (1966), and Hathat Nirar Janya.[8] Sunil Gangopadhyay introduced the fictional character Kakababu, writing 36 novels in the series that became influential in Bengali children's literature. In 1985, he received the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award for his historical fiction Those Days (Sei Somoy).[9][10]

His prose style, conversational and colloquial, simple and lucid yet deeply penetrating with often a thin layer of dry humor, has by now created a niche of its own which have influenced many later writers, not only in Bengal but elsewhere too.[11] Sunil, according to Shankha Ghosh, "used to narrate the story using contemporary language, which often allows readers to find aspects of themselves they may have not seen, perhaps did not want to see. In doing so, Sunil skillfully turned his personal confession into a shared experience for a wide readership."[12] Sitanshu Yashaschandra observed that in his works "the personal is never sacrificed in favor of the 'regional,' nor is 'Bengaliness' ever given up to aspire for any larger status. He is a writer of international stature, simply because he is a writer, such a good writer."[13]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bengali writer Sunil Gangopadhyay dies of a heart attack at 78 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Spouse and children of Gangopadhyay". Sunil Gangopadhyay website. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ a b "শ্রী সুনীল গঙ্গোপাধ্যায়". Anandabazar Patrika. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Sunil Gangopadhyay". Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  5. ^ Datta, Tanmay (2013). "Sunil Gangopadhyay: A Writer and a Star". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (35): 23–26. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 23528749.
  6. ^ "Sunil Gangopadhyay".
  7. ^ "The man who "carried the modern consciousness of Bengal" - The Hindu". The Hindu. 23 October 2012.
  8. ^ Mazumdar, Anurag (24 October 2012). "Aranyer Din Ratri to Kakababu: Sunil Gangopadhyay's gifts to Bengal". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ Ruth Vanita; Saleem Kidwai (22 September 2001). Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 336–. ISBN 978-0-312-29324-6. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  10. ^ "Sunil Gangopadhyay (1934-2012)". www.parabaas.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  11. ^ Goswami, Bhaskar Jyoti (2012). "Sunil Gangopadhyay: A Tribute". Indian Literature. 56 (6 (272)): 56–60. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 43856623.
  12. ^ Ghosh, Sankha (26 October 2012). "কী রকম ভাবে বেঁচে ছিলেন". Anandabazar Patrika. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  13. ^ Yashaschandra, Sitanshu; Yashashchandra, Sitanshu (2012). "In Step with Sunil Gangopadhyay, Across Boundaries". Indian Literature. 56 (6 (272)): 69–73. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 43856626.