Galpa Samagra 1 by Santosh Kumar Ghosh [Hardcover]

Eminent Bengali literary figure Premendra Mitra once remarked that a short story is not just a story; it is something much greater and more profound. His next line is even more insightful: "How finely must a story be cut to achieve this miraculous transformation." Clearly, Mitra was emphasizing the intensity and brilliance that a short story can achieve within its compact scope.

In the first volume of Santosh Kumar Ghosh’s Collected Stories, this luminous quality of brief, gem-like glimpses into life shines through each tale. Ghosh is a unique voice in Bengali fiction, known for his distinct approach in both subject matter and character development in his short stories. His work captures the sparks from the conflicts of society and the individual, shared joy and solitary pain, love, and unrequited emotions. From these dualities, he distills a fleeting flash of insight, a moment of truth that holds immense value in understanding life’s essence.