Biman Mullick

Durer Durga Biman Mullick

Durer Durga: Distant Durga A memoir in Bengali by Biman Mullick Durer Durga is a memoir in Bengali by the octogenarian artist Biman Mullick This book is a single-canvas collage of memories of long-left-behind and distant Howrah, a town near Kolkata in India, and the very different world of London, UK, where the author has lived since 1960. Given that the author is an artist, it is not surprising that the book also contains 125+ images, an uncommon collection of rare photographs and drawings. The stories are set within the intricately-related, yet distinct, cultures of two nations spanning two historic centuries, and told from the author's extraordinary perspective. The unconventional book design, the conversational, humorous narrative style, and Mr. Mullick's unusual life-story, all contribute to the exceptional character of this work. The reader will enjoy the pleasing design of the book and its easy-to-read flow. The index itself, a 30+ page document also full of anecdotes, historical notes, photographs, illustrations by the author and others, is an incredible effort in itself. The book is beautifully bound: it feels good to hold it in one's hand and turn the pages. The author wishes his readers many happy hours in its delightful company. Here are some readers' comments (mostly translated from Bengali) on an earlier version, titled "Durer Kakoli" "A notable addition to modern Bangla literature" Abdul Matin: London "Exceptional! Exceptionally beautiful" Tapan Bagchi: Dhaka University "A memoir with history of two countries. Its speciality is its humour." William Radice: London University "Instead of practising visual art, Biman could just write like Sunil Gangopadhyay or Syed Mujtaba Ali." Sanchita: Dhaka ''Wonderful mixture of history and experience, deliciously enjoyable." Juthika Banerjee: London "It is like enjoying your story in the living room." Soma Choudhury: San Francisco "I felt good that I read your delightful memoir, which is at times hilarious." Prof. SN Sanyal: Panjab University, Chandigarh