Author: Shahidul Zahir
Translators: V. Ramaswamy & Shahroza Nahrin
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Do you believe that translations retain the essence of the original
story?
Life and Political Reality: Two Novellas is the translation of two novellas by
Shahidul Zahir, translated from Bengali by V. Ramaswamy & Shahroza Nahrin. Life
and Political Reality is the work that established his reputation and
granted him cult status in Bangladesh. It examines the 1971 war and its
aftermath -- a treatise on liberation, and the destruction of the idealism and
spirit of post-war Bangladesh, told in a single corrosive,
stream-of-consciousness paragraph. Abu Ibrahim's Death is a quieter
companion novella, and one that is equally concerned with idealism and
compromise, as it studies with deep empathy and nuance the fall of its titular
protagonist.
The novellas are quite unique and present a picture of a country in the
throes of change. The first novella, Life and Political Reality, is an
interesting account of the 1971 war in a local village. The narrative is unique
and the way it has been told is somewhat different, however it becomes repetitive
and monotonous after a point in the story. Going back and forth, the reader
tends to lose interest as the events start to get mixed up in their mind.
Another issue I have is that repetitive use of the full name of the characters
which tend to muddle up the reading experience. That might have been
interesting in the original, but in English that starts becoming irritating.
The second novella Abu Ibrahim's Death is a better read as compared to
the first one. The story has a linear structure and the journey of the
character is quite engaging. I liked the way Ibrahim faces the questions he
faces in life, and the same questions are quite relevant in the current times
as well. The entire premise of the death of the primary character is magnetic
and as a reader you keep looking for the answer until the very end. Another
good thing about this novella was that the characters are quite wonderfully
crafted. I did like the way this particular novella ended. Ibrahim’s dilemma is
the one that most of us face today in our personal and professional lives, and
the way he handles it is quite good.
The characters in the stories are a bit complicated and considering the
setting of the stories, the characters complement the stories. In both the
novellas the characters drive the storytelling and they are not always treading
in the black or the white. In the first novella, there are multiple characters
pulling the story, and in the second one, the titular character is the one on
the driving seat. In both the stories, however, Shahidul uses the country and
the timeline as a character in a wonderful manner. I was personally quite
impressed with the way Ibrahim’s character was sketched and how he interacts
with the people around him, especially the change in the first and the second
half.
The book is a decent read that scores a 3.5/5 for me.
I was provided a copy of the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Get a copy of the book on Amazon or your nearest bookstore.
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