The Spider
Will be published approx. on 6. February 2026
Book
Hardback
100 pages
978-1-80309-477-9 (ISBN)
Description
A tale of mercenaries and myths, set amid the political turmoil of Bengal.
In the largely undocumented sphere of political violence in eastern India, Qadir the Spider is a mythological killer and casanova, known for the various assassinations and liaisons he carries out across the region. His oldest son Rahim is the latest entry to the field. A 13-year-old killer, the boy bides his time like his father-killing, farming, and getting high as the battles go on around him. In this world where they only follow orders, mutilation becomes their only expression, the nature of violence their only meaningful form of autonomy in the various power struggles of interior Bengal.
After his first year in the field, as the child is groomed by his father to carry on the ways of their mercenary clan, he begins to confront the various legends surrounding the Spider. However, while roaming the strange, spectral forests surrounding the town, his chance encounter with a pair of wandering musicians leads him to question the killings that pattern his life. As he searches for the answers around him, he is slowly led to confront the man his father truly is, as well as the man he knows he will become.
A gripping tale of inherited violence and identity in politically volatile Bengal, Aurko Maitra's The Spider contains powerful, disturbing parallels to modern-day conflicts. Boldly interrogating our concepts of autonomy and survival in chaos, this revelatory novel explores the impact of political violence and timeless issues of legacy and intergenerational violence.
In the largely undocumented sphere of political violence in eastern India, Qadir the Spider is a mythological killer and casanova, known for the various assassinations and liaisons he carries out across the region. His oldest son Rahim is the latest entry to the field. A 13-year-old killer, the boy bides his time like his father-killing, farming, and getting high as the battles go on around him. In this world where they only follow orders, mutilation becomes their only expression, the nature of violence their only meaningful form of autonomy in the various power struggles of interior Bengal.
After his first year in the field, as the child is groomed by his father to carry on the ways of their mercenary clan, he begins to confront the various legends surrounding the Spider. However, while roaming the strange, spectral forests surrounding the town, his chance encounter with a pair of wandering musicians leads him to question the killings that pattern his life. As he searches for the answers around him, he is slowly led to confront the man his father truly is, as well as the man he knows he will become.
A gripping tale of inherited violence and identity in politically volatile Bengal, Aurko Maitra's The Spider contains powerful, disturbing parallels to modern-day conflicts. Boldly interrogating our concepts of autonomy and survival in chaos, this revelatory novel explores the impact of political violence and timeless issues of legacy and intergenerational violence.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Greenford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
320 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80309-477-9 (9781803094779)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Raised in Singapore, Aurko Maitra is a writer who has been interviewing figures involved in organized crime and political violence since 2018. His work has been published in the magazines Provoke, Agni, and Third Lane. He divides his time between London, Kolkata, and Singapore.
Content
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