Rachana Sangraha 1, 2 by Ranajit Guha [Hardcover Box Set]

Volume One: History, Society, Politics

Ranajit Guha is a historian whose contribution goes far beyond being merely a historian. He is a world-renowned theorist. His writings on history have long been essential reading for students of various branches of modern social sciences. Initially focused on India's colonial history, and later on post-colonial history, he is credited with the invention of the influential approach known as Subaltern Studies, or the study of the subaltern classes. Under Guha’s leadership, this history, deeply influenced by Marxist thought but elevated by a distinct theoretical framework, aimed to bring to the forefront the suppressed voices of history. As a result, although his seminal work was published in 1963, it was the publication of the first volume of Subaltern Studies in 1982 that became the main foundation of Ranajit Guha's fame. In his later life, he wrote several foundational histories in Bengali, many of which have not yet been translated into English. For the first time, all of his lifelong historical writings are compiled in this single volume.

Volume Two: Literature

Ranajit Guha is internationally renowned primarily as a historian and sociologist. However, beyond these fields, he has also written extensively on literature, beginning from the early stages of his writing career. Although his primary focus shifted towards literary studies in 2009, when he published two books of literary criticism within just five months, his literary work has been a consistent thread in his intellectual pursuits. His seamless application of theoretical ideas from history and theory to literary criticism became evident, as he ventured outside the conventional literary world, engaging deeply with familiar Bengali writers and their works. His exploration of the relationship between individuals, communities, and nature in literature became the central theme of his literary criticism. Since Buddhadeb and Sudhindranath, no one has had such a free and distinguished presence in Bengali literary criticism, both domestically and internationally, as Ranajit Guha. The entire collection of his writings on literature from his life is compiled in this volume for the first time, as noted by Professor Sukanta Chowdhury.