English translation of Bengali poet Srijato's 'A House of Rain and Snow' released

New Delhi, Nov 16 (PTI) The English translation of eminent Bengali poet-author Srijato's novel 'A House of Rain and Snow' is out, announced Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Thursday.

The book, originally written in Bengali, is translated by Maharghya Chakraborty.

'It's not easy for someone to keep looking back to his memories which he doesn't usually want to unfold, not easy as well to dig deep down the time which he has emerged from. While writing this piece I had to do both. It gave me a sense of pleasure and pain at the same time, which I cherished all the way.

'The translation has only enhanced the essence of this novel and I thank Penguin Random House for publishing the work which is closest to my heart,' said Srijato, the recipient of 'Ananda Puroskar', in a statement.

It follows the extraordinary journey of a boy, Pushkar, who must confront the one true secret of his life: his love for composing poems. He hides this from everyone, except Saheli, his school friend who he is in love with.

Abhijit, another friend from school, is unwilling to leave it all up to fate and insists on dragging Pushkar to meet Nirban and their independent publishing house -- at least to ensure that Pushkar’s poems manage to see the light of day.

'I translated this at a tumultuous time. Things were in an upheaval, both personally as well as in the world at large, and that resonated with the tumultuous personal journey of a poet that this book charts.

'Any work of creativity in a broken world perhaps helps us hold on to the shreds of our humanity for just a while longer. I hope everyone who reads the book finds something in it that echoes with them,' said Chakraborty, who also teaches at St Xavier's College in Kolkata.

The book, priced at Rs 399, is currently available for purchase across online and offline stores. PTI MG MAH MAH