Harbart is a haunted man—a victim-participant in the forward march of capitalism and of the impetus to assign significance to the pointlessness and chaos of material existence. Banerjee’s acrobatic translation is both enormously fun and true to the radical content.

— Asymptote
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Sunandini Banerjee

Sunandini Banerjee

Sunandini Banerjee is the chief editor and senior designer of Seagull Books.

cover image of the book Harbart

Harbart

by Nabarun Bhattacharya

Translated by Sunandini Banerjee

Poor, hard-luck Harbart Sarkar—born into a fancy Calcutta family but cursed from birth. Orphaned as a baby, he is taken into his uncle’s house, only to fall further and further down the family totem pole. Despite his native talents and good looks (with his “Hollywood-ish air, Leslie Howard-ish air”), he is scorned by all but his kind aunt. Poor Harbart: so lovable but so little loved. Cheated of his inheritance, living on the roof in hand-me-down clothing, he pines for love, but all is woe: his own nephews beat him up. Suddenly, however, he seems to possess the gift of speaking with the dead. Harbart is bathed in glory. From less than zero to starry heights—what an apotheosis. But then the wheel of fortune turns again …

Now in sparkling English, Harbart—scathingly satiric, wildly energetic, and yet deeply tender—is a beloved cult novel of Calcutta.

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Harbart is a haunted man—a victim-participant in the forward march of capitalism and of the impetus to assign significance to the pointlessness and chaos of material existence. Banerjee’s acrobatic translation is both enormously fun and true to the radical content.

— Asymptote
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