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Survivor
Available in English translation, this book is one of a collection of leading Indian post-independence novels. Each text is supported with an introduction and either detailed footnotes or a glossary as appropriate. Publication coincides with the 50th anniversary of Indian independence.
- GenresFiction
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
About the author
Gopinath Mohanty
24 books23 followersGopinath Mohanty, winner of the Jnanpith award, and the first winner of the National Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955 - for his novel, Amrutara Santana - was a prolific Odia writer of the mid-twentieth century.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 26, 2018
Most of my books (the print ones) have always been purchased in a bookstore. There is something about going to a bookshop and finding that one book that speaks to you. Looking at my bookshelf, there is scarcely a book that I discovered online and then bought it as a print copy. 'The Survivor' by Gopinath Mohanty is a gorgeous story by an author that I hadn't even heard of. Shows how much I have to learn!
Finding Indian regional language books in translation, I have found out, is quite the task! Many books are out of print or are outrageously expensive. 'The Survivor' is called 'Danapani' in Oriya, and is an exquisite tale set in British India of a man who makes the pursuit of work and the climbing of the corporate ladder his ultimate aim in life. The village it is set in is nondescript, but as I read through the book, the stories are the same as what haunt us even now- Birudatta has to please the 'bosses,' stifle the shame of ridicule, find a way around other colleagues, and ultimately win favors with the boss to get that coveted promotion. Does that sound familiar to you? It made me suddenly grateful that I am not in a corporate job. At times funny, at times whimsical, and towards the end mostly melancholic, Gopinath Mohanty has created a story that can quietly tug at your heart.
Finding Indian regional language books in translation, I have found out, is quite the task! Many books are out of print or are outrageously expensive. 'The Survivor' is called 'Danapani' in Oriya, and is an exquisite tale set in British India of a man who makes the pursuit of work and the climbing of the corporate ladder his ultimate aim in life. The village it is set in is nondescript, but as I read through the book, the stories are the same as what haunt us even now- Birudatta has to please the 'bosses,' stifle the shame of ridicule, find a way around other colleagues, and ultimately win favors with the boss to get that coveted promotion. Does that sound familiar to you? It made me suddenly grateful that I am not in a corporate job. At times funny, at times whimsical, and towards the end mostly melancholic, Gopinath Mohanty has created a story that can quietly tug at your heart.
January 2, 2021
An exploration of man and work. And life
We know how many days it will take for x number of men to finish a task when each man does 1/y of the task a day. Do we know anything about the men though? Why are they working? What do they want in return for work? Do they want more? How much more? Are they willing to get more using tact, flattery, agility, humour, subservience, guile and deceit even?
And in the very end is there anything this human has lost in this pursuit? What is this web of want and need and desire and forgotten desires?
The Survivor by Gopinath Mohanty, translated from the Odia by Bikram K Das
-My very first Odia novel. Honoured to have discovered this writer. With literature in so many languages, what are we doing not translating them into one another and English (which is ours as well but you get the point)! Translators and publishers of translations - keep doing the good work. Thank you 🙏
We know how many days it will take for x number of men to finish a task when each man does 1/y of the task a day. Do we know anything about the men though? Why are they working? What do they want in return for work? Do they want more? How much more? Are they willing to get more using tact, flattery, agility, humour, subservience, guile and deceit even?
And in the very end is there anything this human has lost in this pursuit? What is this web of want and need and desire and forgotten desires?
The Survivor by Gopinath Mohanty, translated from the Odia by Bikram K Das
-My very first Odia novel. Honoured to have discovered this writer. With literature in so many languages, what are we doing not translating them into one another and English (which is ours as well but you get the point)! Translators and publishers of translations - keep doing the good work. Thank you 🙏
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews