Best Of Satyajit Ray

Twenty-one extraordinary stories from a master storyteller

For several decades now, Satyajit Ray’s tales about unusual happenings and bizarre characters rooted in familiar surroundings have both regaled and terrified his readers, young and old alike. Here finally are the very best of his short stories, available together for the first time between two covers.

In these pages, you will encounter—

• The Hungry Septopus, a carnivorous plant with a monstrous appetite

• Barin Bhowmick, a kleptomaniac who is taken back several years by a chance encounter on a train

• Patol Babu, an amateur actor for whom a walk-on part in a movie turns into the ultimate challenge

• Bipin Chowdhury, who seems to be suffering from a most disagreeable bout of amnesia

• Bonku Babu, a mofussil schoolteacher who is visited one night by a friendly and somewhat awkward alien

• Ashamanja Babu’s Dog, who bursts out laughing one morning

• Anath Babu, a ghost hunter who finds himself being stalked by his terrifying quarry and many, many more unforgettable characters

This collection features four new stories, translated specially for this volume, including ‘Pikoo’s Diary’, Ray’s masterpiece about a small boy’s perception of his mother’s adulterous affair, written as a child’s diary. It also contains all eight short stories that Satyajit Ray translated himself into English.

Hilarious and sinister by turns, this is perfect bedtime reading for those who like their terror seasoned with a pinch of humour, and a collector’s item for all Ray aficionados.

The author, A renowned film-maker, Satyajit Ray is also a writer of repute.