
The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories
Various(Author)
Arunava Sinha(Editor)
Penguin Classics (Publisher)
Published on 2. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
512 pages
978-0-241-56264-2 (ISBN)
Description
A landmark new anthology of Bengali literature in English, including many previously untranslated stories
'A splendid guide to unmapped lands... [Sinha] is one of the best living translators at work bringing the Bengali classics into English... he writes with exceptional elegance and wit' Spectator
The prose short story arrived in Bengal in the wake of British colonizers, and Bengali writers quickly made the form their own. By the twentieth century a profusion of literary magazines and journals meant they were being avidly read by millions.
Writers responded to this hunger for words with a ferocious energy which reflected the turmoil of their times: these stories covered land wars, famine, the caste system, religious conflict, patriarchy, Partition and the liberation war that saw the emergence of the independent country of Bangladesh. Across these shifting geographical borders, writers also looked inward, evolving new literary styles and stretching the possibilities of social realism, political fiction and intimate domestic tales.
A first in English, this anthology gathers together a century's worth of extraordinary stories. From a woman who eats fish in secret to the woes of an ageing local footballer, from the anxieties of a middle-class union rep to a lawyer who stumbles upon a philosopher's stone, this is a collection that celebrates making art of life, in all its difficulty and joy.
'A splendid guide to unmapped lands... [Sinha] is one of the best living translators at work bringing the Bengali classics into English... he writes with exceptional elegance and wit' Spectator
The prose short story arrived in Bengal in the wake of British colonizers, and Bengali writers quickly made the form their own. By the twentieth century a profusion of literary magazines and journals meant they were being avidly read by millions.
Writers responded to this hunger for words with a ferocious energy which reflected the turmoil of their times: these stories covered land wars, famine, the caste system, religious conflict, patriarchy, Partition and the liberation war that saw the emergence of the independent country of Bangladesh. Across these shifting geographical borders, writers also looked inward, evolving new literary styles and stretching the possibilities of social realism, political fiction and intimate domestic tales.
A first in English, this anthology gathers together a century's worth of extraordinary stories. From a woman who eats fish in secret to the woes of an ageing local footballer, from the anxieties of a middle-class union rep to a lawyer who stumbles upon a philosopher's stone, this is a collection that celebrates making art of life, in all its difficulty and joy.
Reviews / Votes
A splendid guide to unmapped lands... [Sinha] is one of the best living translators at work bringing the Bengali classics into English... he writes with exceptional elegance and wit, and is astonishingly productive -- Philip Hensher * The Spectator *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
350 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-56264-2 (9780241562642)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Various | Arunava Sinha
The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories
E-Book
03/2024
Penguin Books Ltd
€8.99
Available for download
Persons
Arunava Sinha (Anthology Editor)
Arunava Sinha translates classic, modern and contemporary Bengali fiction and non-fiction from Bangladesh and India into English. He also translates fiction from English into Bengali. Over eighty of his translations have been published so far in India, the UK and the USA. He teaches creative writing at Ashoka University, where he is also the co-director of the Ashoka Centre for Translation, and is the Books Editor at Scroll.in.
Arunava Sinha translates classic, modern and contemporary Bengali fiction and non-fiction from Bangladesh and India into English. He also translates fiction from English into Bengali. Over eighty of his translations have been published so far in India, the UK and the USA. He teaches creative writing at Ashoka University, where he is also the co-director of the Ashoka Centre for Translation, and is the Books Editor at Scroll.in.