Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray [Paperback]

Sukumar Ray (Author), Sukanta Chaudhuri (Translator), Satyajit Ray (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Sukumar Roy is undoubtedly the finest writer of nonsense tales and verse in Bengali. This book presents his chief works--Rhymes without Reason and A Topsy-Turvy Tale--in English. The skillful translations convey the genial intimacy of Ray's creations and his original illustrations accompany the text throughout.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Bengali (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Sukanta Chaudhuri is at Jadavpur University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 62 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195630394
• ISBN-13: 978-0195630398
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,349,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kids Of All Ages: You're Gonna Love This!, December 22, 2006

By 

David Alston (Chapel Hill, NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray (Paperback)

I found my way to Sukumar Ray after reading the biography of his famed son Satyajit; after reading this slender volume of the elder Ray's playful and imaginative writing, I would almost say that - were there any justice in the world - Sukumar should have amassed a similar level of global fame.

Two factors, at this late date, would limit this - Sukumar passed away at an unfortunately youthful age, leaving a number of works in progress, and the works he WAS able to produce have proven to be extremely difficult to translate. Sukumar's work has generated an enduring popularity in Bengal, and the appearance of these belated translations would offer a little hope for a wider audience.

Introduced by Satyajit (who offers a rather scholarly assessment of his father's work), the SELECT NONSENSE OF SUKUMAR RAY presents translations of most of the material published seperately as ABOL-TABOL and HA-JA-BA-RA-LA (HJBRL, or "Topsy Turvy Tale"). 8 untranslatable poems from ABOL-TABOL have been omitted.

This first work invites comparisons to Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, as pointed out by Satyajit, though Ray playfully engages with everyday life, incorporating oblique satires and Bengali culture into the offbeat rhymes presented. I very much agree with the previous review: these poems - which all impress with their ingenuity - will very much make you want to read them aloud. As I am a non-Bengali, I can only imagine how magnificent this writing must be in the original language, as - even as 'difficult to translate' material rendered in English, it still dazzles as a triumph of literary imagination.

The prose-and-poetry finale is just as impressive, offering the kind of tightly crafted whimsy and vivid atmosphere that may also be found in (among other things) son Satyajit's children's film GOOPY & BAGHA.

Well-illustrated throughout, with Sukumar's sketches, which appeared with the originals in the Bengali children's magazine "Sandesh." One would hope to see additional work appear in translation; perhaps I will have to learn Bengali!

-David Alston

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb translation of a nearly untranslatable book!!, February 16, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Sujoy Gupta, Calcutta, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray (Paperback)

Sukumar Ray's nonsense verses have delighted generations of Bengalis. The humour is subtle beyond definition. Dr Chaudhuri has achieved something that Ray's own son -- the world famous film director, author and editor Satyajit Ray -- tried and gave up!! The latter pays a generous tribute to Chaudhuri in his signed introduction-- no mean tribute!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tandoori Seuss, September 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray (Paperback)

I must confess I'm not the biggest fan of 'slithy toves' or 'cats in hats,' but I found several verses in this book that satisfy. Mostly, I was taken with the pieces that go beyond slithy tovedom and settle into recognizable social commentary. For example, The Miracle Man mocks the arrogance of physicians with a sharp yet not quite piercing tongue (and after surviving my HMO I found it delicious). The Customs of Bombagarh takes on royalty, while The Pursuit of Science tackles psychiatrists with the same spirit. Finally, the very funny Super Beast can be used to help children build self esteem (simply change the last two lines to: "Not shoe nor a sunshade, I'll have to be me!") Warning: it is impossible not to read aloud from this book. Make sure someone else is home when you do it or the neighbors will talk.