Kolkata, Apr 25 (PTI) Writer Parimal Bhattacharya has been awarded the prestigious ‘Ananda Puraskar’ for his novel Satgaon-er Hawa Tantarira, organisers said.
Instituted by the Anandabazar Patrika group, the award recognised Bhattacharya’s ambitious work that blends history, memory and magical realism across a narrative canvas spanning nearly seven centuries.
Bhattacharya got the award at a function on Friday evening.
The novel explores a layered, non-linear world rooted in Bengal’s cultural past while engaging with global literary traditions.
Critics have noted resonances of Latin American magical realism alongside indigenous storytelling forms, folk beliefs and regional histories.
Bhattacharya, often described as a “rooted cosmopolitan,” draws from both international and Bengali literary influences.
His work situates local experiences within a broader global imagination, while remaining deeply anchored in language, memory and place.
The novel follows its central character, Bappaditya, through shifting temporal and psychological landscapes, weaving together personal memory with collective history.
The text is marked by rich imagery, experimental narrative techniques and a fusion of fiction and non-fiction elements.
The author, who took voluntary retirement from teaching English literature, wrote much of the novel during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period he has described as one of existential uncertainty.
The Ananda Puraskar is among the most respected literary honours in Bengali literature, awarded annually for outstanding contributions to writing in the language. PTI SUS RG
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