Quick Facts
Biography
Sanjib Chattopadhyay (Bengali: সঞ্জীব চট্ট্যোপাধ্যায়) (born February 28, 1936 in Kolkata, India) is a Bengali novelist and writer of short stories. His style is characterized by use of short satirical sentences mixed with very lively language.
Childhood and education
Sanjib Chattopadhyay spent his childhood in the hilly terrain of Chota Nagpur Plateau under the care of his father after his mother died when he was five. They relocated to Calcutta and he was admitted to Victoria Institution school which he joined at grade seven. He later graduated from the Scottish Church College where he studied chemistry.
Work
The subjects of his fiction are mostly families living in Calcutta city. Within the confines of these homes, he challenges the moral values of the fast-changing middle class of the city. Chattopadhyay frequently uses old men as his protagonists. These aged characters create the spiritual and philosophical edge found in his novels Lotakambal (The vessel and Quilt) and Shakha Prasakha (Branches). Arguably the most famous of his creations is Lotakambal. His most famous novella Swetpatharer tebil (The Ivory Table) is an example of his characteristic style of story-telling which mixes tension, dilemma, curiosity, pity, humor, and satire. He has written fiction for children and continues to write for magazines and newspapers. Chattopdhyay current writing is related to Ramkrishna Paramhansa Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. Some of his major works apart from the above-mentioned are:
- Parampadokamale (At His Divine Feet)
- Cancer
- Duti Chair (Two Chairs)
- Roshe Boshe
- Rakish Maa Roshe Boshe
- Besh Achhi Roshe Boshe
- Tumi Aar Aami (You And I)
- Eke Eke (One By One)
- Kolkata Achhe Kolkatatei (Calcutta Is In Calcutta)
- Sheuli - A beautiful novel about a family consisting of grandfather, grandmother, father, mother and their son and daughter with lots of aspirations nestled inside satire.
- Mapa Hashi Chapa Kanna (a book on satire)
- Halka Hashi Chokher Jol (a book on satire) [Light Smile Tears]
Apart from that his notable juvenile literature includes Ruku-Suku, Badomama-Mejomama series which are fun-filled and analylse various philosophical aspects of life through the eyes of children.
Awards
Chattopadhyay is the recipient of the Ananda Puraskar in 1981.