Applications are now open for our upcoming fiction translation retreat to be held between 1st – 6th November 2023 under the mentorship of acclaimed translator V. Ramaswamy.
This retreat will focus on translating the short fictions of Abhijit Sen, one of the strongest writers of Bengal into English.
During the span of this workshop-retreat, the translators will be meeting Sen in person to discuss relevant aspects of the project.
Date: November 1st-6th Nov, 2023
Writer in focus: Abhijit Sen
Project Mentor: V. Ramaswamy
Language to be translated from: Bengali
Language to be translated into: English
Application submission deadline: October 10th,2023
Application Requirements
- Fill out the Google form application
- Submit a translation of the first 1000-1500 words of any one of the stories offered on our site. (Attach in the form/ email)
- Along with the sample translation, share a cover letter stating your interest and reason for translating Abhijit Sen’s work.(Attach in the form/ email)
- A brief bio of yourself. (Attach in the form/ email)
*Please note that it is your translation that will hold maximum weightage and nothing else.
Scholarship/ Retreat expense
- We will accept four candidates for the retreat.
- Only 1 out of 4 will receive a scholarship that will cover Her/His stay at Purnendu Patri Shilpagram.
- All others will have to bear their cost of living unless further scholarship opportunities open up for the same. (An approximate expense chart is available upon request)
- All candidates are required to take care of their travel/ Visa/ transportation to and from the venue.
Contract Policies
- All stories translated in this project (which involves the retreat in point and 10 more stories will be anthologized in a book by The Antonym Collections. The translated stories (all versions) are therefore owned and copyrighted by The Antonym Collection.
- All participating translators will be signing contracts to work on all the stories assigned to them under the set deadline. ( Further details will be discussed later)
- All translations will be subject to rounds of revisions/ edits.
Translate any of the following stories
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Abhijit Sen
Abhijit Sen was born on January 28, 1945, in Keora, a village situated in Barishal district (now Jhalkathi), Bangladesh. He came to West Bengal after the partition of India. He started his education in Kolkata, then continued his studies in Jhargram, and Purulia respectively before coming back to city again. He started working with an insurance company before graduating from the university. He continued for six years (1963-1969) and then quit to join the Naxalite movement. Later on, he left politics and resumed job again while living in North Bengal. In his 31 years of service in Cooperative and Grameen Bank, he travelled extensively in the three northern and Murshidabad districts, aquiring deep insights into the lives and hardships of the village communities. This inspired and informed his writing always. His penmanship has been well recognized by serious readers of literature in Bengal. His famous works include ‘Rohu Chandaler Haar’, ‘Debangshi’, ‘Ondhokarer Nodi’, ‘Chaayar Pakhi’, ‘Andhar Mahish’, ‘Bidyadhori o Bibagi Lakkhindar’, ‘Holud Ronger Surjo’, ‘Swargo o Onnannyo Nilima’, ‘Megher nodi’, ‘Nimnogotir Nodi’, ‘Mousumi Somudrer Upokul’, ‘Lashkata Ghorer Samne Opekkha’, ‘Ponchasti Golpo’, ‘Shrestho Golpo’ etc.He received the Bankimchandra Memorial Award in 1992 and the Saratchandra Memorial Award from Calcutta University in 2005 respectively.
V. Ramaswamy
V. Ramaswamy (born 1960) is a Kolkata, India-based non-fiction writer and translator. He is a dedicated activist who has tirelessly advocated for the rights of the laboring poor. Ramaswamy’s written works delve into a wide range of critical subjects, including laborers, squatter communities, slum dwellers, poverty, housing and resettlement. His commitment extends to actively participating in grassroots efforts aimed at envisioning and catalyzing the rejuvenation of his city.
Since 2005, Ramaswamy has been immersed in translating the short fiction of Subimal Misra, a Bengali writer renowned for his anti-establishment, experimental style. Misra’s writings offer a discerning critique of society, politics, and culture within his era.
Ramaswamy’s translations of Misra’s stories have found publication in two collections: “The Golden Gandhi Statue from America” (2010) and “Wild Animals Prohibited: Stories, Anti-Stories” (2015), both published by HarperCollins India. Currently, a third volume, featuring two anti-novellas, is in the process of publication. Additionally, Ramaswamy is diligently working on a final collection of Misra’s late stories and is engaged in translating the works of another contemporary Bengali author, Manoranjan Byapari.
– For any other queries, send us an email at – [[email protected]]
