Tw- sexual abuse
Entering the Maze is the translation of the autobiographical fiction of Krishnagopal Mallick. The book is divided into four parts- Introduction, The Difficult Path, Senior Citizen and Entering the Maze.
The introduction is the reader’s first look into Krishnagopal’s life and work and of course him. Each part of the book has a different thing to offer but what remains common is the brave and bare style of writing. The young protagonist in the book has various sexual experiences over the time period of a year. Capturing the themes like desire, exploring oneself, complex emotions Chatterjee has done an amazing job to bring Mallick’s work to the English reading audience.
The book also provides a first hand view into the old Kolkata and its slow mundane life. The first story ” The Difficult Path” includes in-depth descriptions of the College Square and the various groups of people visiting it at different times, shows Mallick’s love for Kolkata and also transports the reader to that place. I really liked how the writing feels raw and grips you.
The second story “Senior Citizen” is about an old man seeking sexual pleasure in the expected places and thereby getting threatened for his actions.
“Entering the Maze” , the novella is the story of the coming of age of a 15 years old boy discovering his sexuality.
Mallick openly mentioned himself as homosexual and didn’t use the modern day terms ‘queer’ or ‘gay’. He was away from political correctness, challenging societal norms. The frankness in his work was a very unique aspect and unusual for his time, making him one of a kind. The translator Niladri Chatterjee has beautifully captured his work in its honest and true sense and brought to the readers a queer account that had been long forgotten.
Read this queer fiction to explore the work of Krishnagopal Mallick and also to understand why translations are important.
MY RATING -4/5
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