tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post115063290724377137..comments2024-03-18T19:46:10.130+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: Of torpors and stupors: the Byomkesh Bakshi mysteriesJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-56868013680640885832012-04-10T14:59:12.175+05:302012-04-10T14:59:12.175+05:30Sapera: oh dear. No idea how I picked up that idea...Sapera: oh dear. No idea how I picked up that idea about it being south Calcutta - I'm quite particular about these things. However, I do recall that at least in the English translations of these stories, the setting did seem comfortably bourgeoisie. Maybe I should revisit them sometime to see if the translations have in some way updated the original stories.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-82152076084018375282012-04-10T07:19:05.174+05:302012-04-10T07:19:05.174+05:30"there is an eye for detail and for nuances o..."there is an eye for detail and for nuances of character, and some of them are sinister in a way that seem quite at odds with the comfortably bourgeoisie south Calcutta setting"<br /><br />no, no, no! They lived in a mess on Harrison Road (now MG road after Independence) which couldn't be more North Calcutta if it tried. South Calcutta was a jungle when these stories were written in the late 19th to early 20th century. :)saperahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16553004590976656655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1156767614359772392006-08-28T17:50:00.000+05:302006-08-28T17:50:00.000+05:30Sreejata Guha also translated a book of his childr...Sreejata Guha also translated a book of his children's stories set in Shivaji's era, called 'Band of Soldier's. I reviewed it earlier this year, and having read that as well as this book, have come to the conclusion that perhaps Guha's translations lose out on something.Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819608939555247317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1151046458401244712006-06-23T12:37:00.000+05:302006-06-23T12:37:00.000+05:30Sorodindu became famous for his Byomkesh works but...Sorodindu became famous for his Byomkesh works but his major literary contributions lie in his historical novels and short stories (mainly dealing with supernatural).Not sure if anybody had translated these to English. As for the movie <A HREF="http://www.satyajitray.org/films/chiriakhana.htm" REL="nofollow">Chiriakhana </A> is concerned Ray came to director's seat as the guy who was supposed to direct left in between.<BR/>He himself never liked the film but surprisingly West Bengal govt awarded him the best director for the movie.Chilla-Bonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10912204742882368723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150824786361541972006-06-20T23:03:00.000+05:302006-06-20T23:03:00.000+05:30Yes, there was a Byomkesh Bakshi series on good ol...Yes, there was a Byomkesh Bakshi series on good old Doordarshan and nobody can portray the detective better than Rajat Kapur. I loved the series so much I even caught all the repeats when DD aired it in subsequent years.<BR/><BR/>P.S. Haven't read the Byomkesh stories thoughAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150809719799244552006-06-20T18:51:00.000+05:302006-06-20T18:51:00.000+05:30Byomkesh is maybe the closest approximation to She...Byomkesh is maybe the closest approximation to Sherlock in Indian stories....but he was a "Satyanveshi".mayankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17846431002556429479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150734215412129312006-06-19T21:53:00.000+05:302006-06-19T21:53:00.000+05:30If I am not wrong wasn't there a TV series with th...If I am not wrong wasn't there a TV series with the same name on DD. I think Rajat Kapoor played the title characterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150721215954369672006-06-19T18:16:00.000+05:302006-06-19T18:16:00.000+05:30Byomkesh rocks!!! He was brilliant. You must read ...Byomkesh rocks!!! He was brilliant. You must read the Bengali versions. Why don't you come over to my place one of these days and I will read them out to you?Black Muddy Riverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15955846722038215253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150694740368512992006-06-19T10:55:00.000+05:302006-06-19T10:55:00.000+05:30Bidi-K: no, I haven't seen any of his other work, ...Bidi-K: no, I haven't seen any of his other work, just those two Byomkesh Bakshi translations. Would like to get my hands on the supernatural stories though.<BR/><BR/>Preetinder: thanks for the info, but I doubt Adsense is so generous.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150691296957652082006-06-19T09:58:00.000+05:302006-06-19T09:58:00.000+05:30This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Whateverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17287611126860129214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150664245259096882006-06-19T02:27:00.000+05:302006-06-19T02:27:00.000+05:30Do you know if any of his other works have also be...Do you know if any of his other works have also been translated..other than Byomkesh? His short stories of the supernatural genre are simply fabulous.Bidi-Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12542701669026229655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150664068982479882006-06-19T02:24:00.000+05:302006-06-19T02:24:00.000+05:30This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Bidi-Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12542701669026229655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150648552668815902006-06-18T22:05:00.000+05:302006-06-18T22:05:00.000+05:30Nope, not seen Chiriakhana. But my experience is t...Nope, not seen <I>Chiriakhana</I>. But my experience is that when great directors mark a film of theirs out as something they aren't proud of (as Ray did with this one), it almost always turns out to be really interesting. Also, what's that they say about a flawed work providing a better perspective on a great artiste than his masterpieces can?Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150645812001498792006-06-18T21:20:00.000+05:302006-06-18T21:20:00.000+05:30To continue were Marauder left off. Yes, Chiriakha...To continue were Marauder left off. Yes, Chiriakhana is the pits. I thought Ray's all-time worst was Ganashatru (I have tried to sit through the film a number of times and failed), but Chiriakhana takes the cake (rather the dung cake). The film was not available commercially for quite some time. So, when I espied a DVD of it the last time I was in Cal, I pounced on it. But, what a letdown!! I couldn't for the life of me fathom how Ray could have made such a terribly bad movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-1150637905974193572006-06-18T19:08:00.000+05:302006-06-18T19:08:00.000+05:30The main difference between Byomkesh and Feluda of...The main difference between Byomkesh and Feluda of course is the total lack of sexual themes and content in the latter. Of course, Feluda was a series written for children, and given this constraint it's quite remarkeable how mature some of the mysteries are. Byomkesh stories can be quite wickedly salacious -- and come as a refreshing surprise to anyone who's grown up on a Feluda diet.<BR/><BR/>And damn you, now I'll have to get that huge heavy book down and read Shojarur Kanta yet again. <BR/><BR/>P.S. Ray's Chiriakhana is the worst film he ever made. Seen it?The Marauder's Maphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691114757718617846noreply@blogger.com