Those Days: A Novel

Translated by Aruna Chakravarti
Born in 1934 in Faridpur, now in Bangladesh, Sunil Gangopadhyay came as a refugee to Calcutta in 1947, following the partition of India. The family suffered extreme poverty initially and Sunil, though only in his teens, was forced to find employment. He still managed to continue his education, taking his Master’s degree from Calcutta University.
Sunil began his literary career as a poet, starting the epoch-making magazine, Krittibas, in 1953. His better-known poetry collections are Eka ebang Kayekjon (1958), Amar Swapna (1972), Bandi Jege Achhi (1974) and Ami ki Rakam Bhabe Benche Achhi (1975). Storming into the field of the novel with the trendsetting Atma Prakash (1966)—a powerful portrayal of the frustration and ennui of the youth of Calcutta—he soon rose to become the leading and most popular novelist of Bengali. Sei Samai (1982), which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award, and Purba Paschim (1989) are among his best novels.