subject: The Golden Gandhi Statue From America By Subimal Misra [print this page] Born in 1943, Subimal Misra was considered an audacious writer who conducted bold experiments in the world of literature. He made a conscious decision to write only for Small Bengali magazines and scrupulously avoided the larger ones.
Back with A Bang
A lot of people have been asking this question, where is Subimal Misra nowadays. We reach the answer finally with the arrival of the title The Golden Gandhi Statue from America published by a big banner publisher and translated in a language avoided by him. In a way, he is a true anti establishment man, which is why he was steadfast against all kinds of mainstream publishers.
Consistently Defiant and Underground
He remained defiantly underground for a long time, and the effect is unmistakably obvious in the stories themselves. You soon realize his stories deserved better recognition than what they got, especially at a time when being anti-establishment is so much in fashion that even that attitude today has been co-opted in the establishment itself.
He Is In a Different Category Altogether
He represents the underbelly of Kolkata and its deviance, especially its madness. In fact, he never wanted to be compared with the giants such as Rabindranath Tagore, though thats not likely either, because he is completely different person altogether. Experimental fiction has been growing rapidly, and chances are the source was none other than Subimal Misra. These stories were written between 1968 and 1973, and these are not for the faint hearted at all. He has written carefully crafted stories and admits the influences that have shaped his stories right away.
Not For the Faint Hearted
His stories are full of blood and gore, for example, the story titled Commentary 71 has blood flowing through the streets of Kolkata, whereas the same city faces its end in Bare Bones Awakened. A woman agrees to go on a holiday with two men and she doesnt know what lies in store next. The story titled Blood is especially stunning, where there is a battle with the mosquitoes. Overall, these are stories which are contemporary and classical at the same time.
