A timeless love story from the master storyteller of Bengal
Set in early twentieth century Kolkata, Parineeta (Espoused) is the unforgettable story of a child-woman’s intense and bittersweet romance. Lalita, an orphaned girl who lives with her uncle, considers herself betrothed to Shekhar, her benefactor and guardian. After several failed attempts, Lalita finally gets the egotistical Shekhar to admit that he reciprocates her feelings. However, tensions erupt between Shekhar’s prosperous father and Lalita’s poor but principled uncle, and the situation is further complicated by the arrival on the scene of Girin, a mild-mannered and eligible bachelor, who is attracted to Lalita. The lovers’ world is turned upside down, and Shekhar and Lalita find themselves estranged. Years later, they meet again, and the story takes another unexpected turn…
Parineeta is a classic that has captured the imagination of generations of readers. This new translation, published to coincide with Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film, will delight Saratchandra’s fans, as well as those who are not familiar with the writer’s works.
About the Author
Saratchandra Chattopadhyay (1876–1938) was born in Devanandapur, an obscure village of Bengal.
His childhood and youth were spent in dire poverty as his father, Motilal Chattopadhyay, was an idler and dreamer and gave little security to his five children. Saratchandra received very little formal education but inherited something valuable from his father—his imagination and love of literature.
He started writing in his early teens and two stories written then have survived—‘Korel’ and ‘Kashinath’. Saratchandra came to maturity at a time when the national movement was gaining momentum together with an awakening of social consciousness.
Much of his writing bears the mark of the resultant turbulence of society. A prolific writer, he found the novel an apt medium for depicting this and, in his hands, it became a powerful weapon of social and political reform.
Sensitive and daring, his novels captivated the hearts and minds of thousands of readers not only in Bengal but all over India.
