Galpasamagra by Kamal Kumar Majumdar [Hardcover]

In Bengali literature, Kamalkumar Majumdar is a unique institution by himself. Distinct and self-reliant, unparalleled and aristocratic. Kamalkumar was a contemporary of the writers emerging from publications like Kallol-Kalikalam or Parichay magazine. However, he cannot be identified with any particular magazine. It was around Kamalkumar that a writer's group formed, yet he was never a part of any group. From the beginning, Kamalkumar Majumdar was different in both character and as a writer. Although his stories were published in prominent magazines like Desh, Chaturanga, and Parichay, his true identity lies as a writer of little magazines. Even in his later years, when he had gained fame, Kamalkumar remained a writer for little magazines. It is doubtful whether any other writer of his stature has emerged from such a small platform.

Kamalkumar firmly believed that, alongside content, style is equally important in the history of literature. He spent his entire life experimenting with style. Starting with colloquial Bengali, Kamalkumar gradually moved towards writing in the more classical form of the language. Ultimately, he created a distinctive style that easily identifies him. Very few writers, it must be said, can achieve this level of success. His Bengali, deep and profound, poetic yet firm, is entirely different in flavor from the Bengali of Rabindranath or Sarat Chandra. His perspective was international, yet in Kamalkumar's stories and novels, the voices of the people of the country repeatedly resonate.

In these writings, which carry the scent of the earth, it is remarkable how Kamalkumar has portrayed the impoverished characters with such dignity. He never wrote the typical, formulaic, sympathetic stories about these characters. Instead, he depicted them as living beings, deserving of full human dignity. Stories like Matilal Padrí, Koyedkhana, Tahader Katha, and Nim Annapurna are permanent treasures of any language.

Kamalkumar had published a short story collection that contained several of his stories. Now, with the addition of every remaining story written by Kamalkumar, this comprehensive and exceptional collection of his works, Galpo-Samagra (The Complete Stories), has been released by Ananda Publishers.