prabal kumar basu

POET | AUTHOR | EDITOR

About

Prabal Kumar Basu is  an Indian ( Bengali language ) poet , essayist and editor writing since the early eighties of the last century. He has carved out a significant place for himself in the regional as well as the national  literary scenario. His works are significant in the long and rich tradition of Bengali literature.

EARLY LIFE​

Prabal Kumar Basu was born on 21 September 1960  in Kolkata, erstwhile Calcutta,  West Bengal  to Debkumar and Chhanda  Basu. Debkumar was quite well known in the Bengali cultural milieu . His friends , mostly prominent men and women of the cultural fraternity often visited his home and they left an indelible mark in the mind of young Prabal. Prabal ‘s creative aspirations were fired by these    creative greats of those times. One of them was the famous poet Shakti Chattopadhyay with whom Prabal spent a considerable time of his childhood and youth. They together traveled extensively during this period, touring  through forests, mountains , seas or villages. They explored nature in wilderness, which has had a great impact in Prabal’s literary journey. Later Prabal became close to another literary stalwart, Sunil Gangopadhya with whom he got involved in various literary activities including co-editing special issues of the famous magazine ‘Krittibas’. Sunil also opened the door of world literature for him.

LITERARY CAREER & CONTRIBUTIONS

Prabal started writing poetry from his college days and his first poetry book “Tumi i Pratham” was published immediately after he graduated. This brought him critical acclaim and he was awarded Gauri Bhattacharjee Memorial Award. Prabal was also associated in production of verse drama from his younger days. In 1981, he formed a cultural organization named Adhunik Sanskritik Parishad, which used to stage ballet forms of poems.

In 2002, Prabal edited “Signposts: 50 years of Bengali Poetry since Independence”. Since then, the book has become one of the most well-read and talked about books on Bengali poetry in English. In 2003 Prabal was instrumental in setting up a Trust: “Kolkata International Foundation for Art, Literature and Culture”, along with famous artists, theater personalities, poets and other culturally-enriched individuals. Their objective was to set up a multi-cultural center in Kolkata.

Prabal received much fame and accolades, along with the West Bengal Bangla Academy Puraskar (Award), for his poetry book “Jamon Kore Gaichhe Akash” in 2005. In this same year he was invited to the Third International Poetry Festival in Wellington, New Zealand. The festival was a confluence of poets from across the globe and Prabal developed a connection with other International poets. This greatly helped him acquire an international diction and world viewpoint which is evident in his later works. In 2007, Prabal attended 4th world Haiku conference in Tokyo and read his poetry there. One of the most eponymous moments came in to Prabal’s life when he attended the ‘Writers and Artists In-Residency Programme’ as an invited guest of the President of India during 2017. He stayed at the Rashtrapati Bhawan for two weeks and had multiple cultural exchanges with the President himself.

LITERARY WORKS

Following are the list of Prabal kumar Basu’s literary works in different fields of literature:

Poetry collections

  • Tumi i Pratham (1983)

  • Byaktigata Smritistambher Pashe (1987)

  • Sthayee Abaas O sthayee Thikana (1989)

  • Janmobeej (1993)

  • Yapanchitra (1994)

  • Isworer Mukh (1998)

  • Jemon Kore Gaichhe Akaash (2002)

  • Manobanchha Ek Bindu Jol (2004)

  • KothaTheke Shuru Karbo (2006)

  • Shreshtho Kabita (2007)

  • Aapnakei Thik Karte Hobe Gantyabyo (2008)

  • Adharma Katha (2009)

  • Bhalo Bolte Shikhun (2011)

  • Premer Kabita (2012)

  • Nirbachito Duratwo Mene (2013)

  • Ei Je Ami Cholechi (2015)

  • Aami To Boltei Partam (2017)

  • Nirbachito Kabita (2017)

  • Balite Joler Dag (2019)

  • Bakul Bamapada, Nitai Ar Ami (2020)

  • Novemberer Kobita (2022)

 

Poetry ( In English Translation)

  • Of Lonely Rocks and Upright Trees (2006)

  • All About Umbrellas (2008)

  • As I Wander Along (2018)

  • Fish Without A Bicycle (2022)

Short stories

  • Paradox of Truth (2013)

Short story collections (Bengali)

  • Moha Bhoj (1993)

  • Aamar Somoy Aamar Galpo (2008)

  • Galpoi Galpo (2011)

  • Madhab Poto o putul Parira (2022)

Verse drama collections (Bengali)

  • Chakrabyuha O Anyanyo Kabyanatya (2005) 
  •  Kabyanatya Sangraha (2013)

Collection of essays

  • Andho Jato Hoy Tato Dekhe (2007)

  • Mor Bhabanare (2018)

  • Tarun Kabir Kabyobhasha (2018)

  • Chalte Chalte Rashtrapati Bhabana (2018)

  • Kichhu Dekha Kichhu Katha (2019)

  • Antoraaler Golpokatha (2019)

Edited books

  • Signposts: Bengali Poetry since Independence

  • Anyo Aalo: Selection of essays by eminent authors, published in Yapanchitra magazine (2015)

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

  • Gauri Bhattacharjee Memorial Award (1984)

  • State Academy Award for Poetry (2005)

  • Invitee at the 3rd Wellington International Poetry Festival in New Zealand (2005)

  • Invitee at the 4th World Haiku Conference in Tokyo (2007)

  • Invited by President of India, to President House, India, for fifteen days to join “Writers & Artists In-Residence” Program (2017)

  • Felicitated by BRIKS Writers Association (2024)

yet to come