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Abol Tabol :
The Nonsense World of Sukumar Roy
Translated by : Sampurna Chattarji
Published by : Penguin Books India
Year of Publication : Feb 2004
ISBN : 014333588X
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If you thought that writing nonsense verse and prose was the exclusive preserve of the likes of Lear and Carrol then its time you start thinking again. More than a century ago one person from Bengal had explored and conquered the strange world of nonsense literature and that world revives in Sampurna Chatterjee’s translation: Abol Tabol – the nonsense world of Sukumar Roy. The Bengali language has never been quite so much a living, breathing creature of whimsy as in Sukumar Ray's hands, and his creations-wild and wicked, dreamy and delirious-have thrilled children and adults alike. Roy’s creative play with words and images earned him the title of the “Master of nonsense” and his magic is recreated amply in Sampurna Chatterjee’s work. |  | Abol Tabol – the nonsense world of Sukumar Roy offers the best of Roy’s pun-riddled, fun-fiddled poetry from Abol Tabol and Khai-Khai, stories of schoolboy pranks (Pagla Dashu) and madcap explorers (Heshoram Hushiyarer Diary), and the unforgettable harum-scarum classic of Haw-Jaw-Baw-Raw-Law. All the stories and poems are accompanied by Sukumar Ray's inimitable illustrations that make the book come alive with life and laughter. If translating verse is a tough assignment, translating nonsense verse is tougher still. Sampurna Chattarji has, indeed, done a commendable job of translating Abol Tabol. In this volume she has successfully transcreated everything in the world that is happy and mischievous. The Nonsense World of Sukumar Ray lives up to its name in such an endearing manner that you enjoy every minute of your stay there. Part prose, part verse, the common thread running through the book is its unbridled sense of fun. Devoid of the staple ingredients of children’s literature, this book offers a roller-coaster ride with characters who are as fun as they are weird, as interesting as they are outlandish. With their simple charm and wacky wickedness, they can bring a smile to adults as easily as they can to children.
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