Laughter and magic spells

The best of Tenida (Puffin, Rs 250) by Narayan Gangopadhyay once again brings to readers the adventures of the much-loved, loud-mouthed Tenida along with his gang from Potoldanga, this time in English. The protagonist and his friends, Pela, Habul and Kyabla, are household names in Bengal; Aparna Chaudhuri, who has translated the selected stories into English, had a daunting task. The collection contains the novella, Charmurti (The Four Heroes) and five short stories. In Charmurti, apart from Tenida’s gang of four, readers meet several memorable characters such as the the Great Gloomyswami and the “ogre-like Gajeswar”. “The Bhajahari Film Corporation” highlights Tenida’s enterprising spirit; “The Little Bat and the Ticket-Checker” bears testimony to his story-telling skills and his love for food.

Those who have read Gangopadhyay’s stories in Bengali or the comic strips might find the humour in the English translation a bit wanting. Chaudhuri has done her best to help readers feel the magic of the original texts by providing extensive notes and a glossary of oft-used Bengali words. But, as she states in her note, most of the Bengali expressions used in the original texts “do not transfer easily into English”. Hence, some of the jokes lose their punch in translation, and the all-pervasive element of fun one associates with stories of Tenida is missing at times.

Transgressions (HarperCollins, Rs 350) by Vaiju Naravane is the story of Kranti Goray de Lorel, a rich, middle-aged Indian fashion designer who manages to break into French high society by using her feminine charms. The book begins with de Lorel’s theatrical suicide; donning a wig and using lipstick, she meticulously dresses up in anticipation of her final breath. Her death leads to the revelation of the sordid details of her past, and serves as a punishment for her French lover, the much-married Robert-Pierre. The plot is gripping and well-woven; there are shocking admissions of incest and a well-crafted use of homoeroticism. Naravane’s language is crisp, but her writing is not flawless. Her attempts to establish Robert-Pierre’s French wife, Sophie, as a foil for her ‘exotic’ protagonist slows down the pace of the narrative.

Final cut (Frog, Rs 195) by Uday Gupt is a collection of six short stories and one novella. This is the author’s maiden attempt at fiction; he has tried to incorporate unique themes and elements of history into his prose. He has also tried to use interesting literary devices. However, none of this succeeds in holding the interest of the reader. Stories like “Hodson’s Gold”, “Friends” and “It Happens Only in India” begin on a promising note, but the meandering prose and the length of his ‘short’ stories rob the collection of its fluidity.

A breath of frost (Bloomsbury, Rs 399) by Alyxandra Harvey is the first book in a trilogy. Harvey tries very hard to emulate Jane Austen’s prose; the only things that she does differently are her use of witches and magic spells. This is the story of Emma Day and her cousins, Gretchen and Penelope, whose lives are suddenly turned around when a spell is broken and a young witch is killed. Harvey writes of grand balls, where young women are readied in the hope of meeting eligible bachelors. She tries to seamlessly fuse romance with the supernatural in an attempt to charm young readers. However, her spell is not likely to last long, as it soon becomes apparent that Harvey does not have anything new to offer. She does not use her imagination in her treatment of the themes of darkness and the unknown; moreover, readers meet the typical brooding hero who comes across as unpleasant at first but still sweeps the girl off her feet. The book has several loose ends that are left unaddressed; perhaps they will be taken up in the sequel.