Sundarban Samagra by Shibshankar Mitra [Hardcover]

For his book Sundarban, Shibshankar Mitra was awarded the prestigious National Award for Best Children’s Literature by the Government of India back in 1962. This was undoubtedly a highly respected recognition. However, those who have read his Sundarban and the character of Arjan Sardar know that, even before receiving this award, he had already won a much greater honor. That honor was the heartfelt recognition of his readers. Needless to say, in the end, it is the reader's heart in which a writer truly lives. In this respect, Shibshankar Mitra was indeed fortunate. The moment he stepped into the world of children’s literature, he was warmly welcomed. He earned an eternal recognition. Subsequent awards were merely official stamps of approval on this recognition.

The number of his books is not small, and their variety of themes is certainly noteworthy. However, as every writer tends to have one particular theme or aspect that defines them, Shibshankar Mitra too has his distinctive subject. That subject is the Sundarbans. As Premendra Mitra once wrote in a poem, "Our boundary is/ To the south, Sundarban/ To the north, the Terai." For those who have expanded the boundaries of Bengali literature to the south, toward the Sundarbans, there is no doubt that Shibshankar Mitra's name will be counted among the foremost. He has written five major novels set against the backdrop of the Sundarbans. In addition, there are numerous short stories. The cumulative result of fifty years of writing, these works have been brought together in the remarkable collection Sundarban Samagra.

The Sundarbans is not just beautiful but also shrouded in great mystery. Water and forests, humans and fierce animals, superstitions and legends, thrilling and heroic tales — all these elements make this land eternally fascinating and mysterious. Shibshankar Mitra has not only observed the Sundarbans up close but has seen it from many different perspectives. And it is this experience that he has brought to life in his stories and novels. The events and images in his writing are not imaginary. In many cases, even the names of the characters are exact. Some of them are still alive, while others have passed away. But in the remarkable blend of literary truth and real truth, the world that the author has created, where their reflections are captured, they will remain forever.