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Satyajit Ray Miscellany: On Life, Cinema, People & Much More
More than seventy rarest essays on filmmaking, screenplay writing, autobiographical pieces and rare photographs and manuscripts of Ray
'Ray is a most singular symbol of what is best and most revered in Indian cinema' - Adoor Gopalakrishnan
'Satyajit Ray, I salute you. The greatest of our poets of the cinema' -Ben Kingsley
Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), one of the doyens of world cinema, gave a unique aesthetic expression to Indian cinema, music, art and literature. His writings, especially, autobiographical works, thoughts on filmmaking, screenplay writing and eminent personalities from art, literature and music, among others, are considered treasure troves, which largely remained unseen and therefore less known till date.
Satyajit Ray Miscellany , the second book in The Penguin Ray Library series, brings to light some of the rarest essays and illustrations of Ray that opens a window to the myriad thought-process of this creative genius. With more than seventy gripping write-ups and rare photographs and manuscripts, this book is a collector's item.
'Ray is a most singular symbol of what is best and most revered in Indian cinema' - Adoor Gopalakrishnan
'Satyajit Ray, I salute you. The greatest of our poets of the cinema' -Ben Kingsley
Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), one of the doyens of world cinema, gave a unique aesthetic expression to Indian cinema, music, art and literature. His writings, especially, autobiographical works, thoughts on filmmaking, screenplay writing and eminent personalities from art, literature and music, among others, are considered treasure troves, which largely remained unseen and therefore less known till date.
Satyajit Ray Miscellany , the second book in The Penguin Ray Library series, brings to light some of the rarest essays and illustrations of Ray that opens a window to the myriad thought-process of this creative genius. With more than seventy gripping write-ups and rare photographs and manuscripts, this book is a collector's item.
- GenresNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2023
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76 people want to read
About the author
Satyajit Ray
678 books1,530 followersSatyajit Ray (Bengali: সত্যজিৎ রায়) was an Indian filmmaker and author of Bengali fiction and regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of world cinema. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and watching Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist 1948 film, Bicycle Thieves.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 23, 2025
This book is not only on satyajit ray sahab, this is life which he had imbibed and lived with. He had retented all kind of art in his every single steps which he took till the end of his life.
February 22, 2023
Satyajit Ray is one of India's most renowned filmmakers and his work has had a lasting impact on Indian cinema. His miscellany, which includes movies, writing, and photography, serves as a testament to his passionate dedication to the art of filmmaking.
The Satyajit Ray Miscellany offers viewers an insight into Ray’s creative genius, showcasing a range of his cinematic works and photography, as well as his original writings and essays. With such a large selection of works, viewers can get a broad overview of Ray’s body of work. The documentary aspect of the miscellany provides an interesting supplemental to his body of work, documenting his life, his journey as a filmmaker, and the successes he achieved.
The Miscellany is sure to delight fans of Ray’s work. It is a comprehensive collection of his works, providing an in-depth look at his talent and the passion he had for filmmaking. This is a must-see for any true fan of Ray’s work, and an excellent introduction to those who are unfamiliar with his work.
The Satyajit Ray Miscellany offers viewers an insight into Ray’s creative genius, showcasing a range of his cinematic works and photography, as well as his original writings and essays. With such a large selection of works, viewers can get a broad overview of Ray’s body of work. The documentary aspect of the miscellany provides an interesting supplemental to his body of work, documenting his life, his journey as a filmmaker, and the successes he achieved.
The Miscellany is sure to delight fans of Ray’s work. It is a comprehensive collection of his works, providing an in-depth look at his talent and the passion he had for filmmaking. This is a must-see for any true fan of Ray’s work, and an excellent introduction to those who are unfamiliar with his work.
June 21, 2023
Gives a sneak peak into the maestro’s mind, his thought process, his views from topics ranging from film making to art to tagore and much more. Definitely a delightful read for all Ray afficionados. One gripe I had with the book is that its too skewed towards Cinema, I felt the topics of the writings collated in this book could have been more diverse as Ray was not just a film maker, he was also a celebrated writer, artist and so much more.
November 3, 2025
If you want to know this exceptional human--elegant, esthetic, and energetic--this is the book you should read; it has the writer, painter, piano player, the philosopher, and most of all, the great film maker in one! He reminds me of François Truffaut, a handsome man with a discrete disposition, the essential signs of greatness. Both film makers have captured society's and life's aspects few could.
February 1, 2026
This one is for the Satyajit Ray fans. The book contains a miscellaneous collection of Satyajit Ray's notes which ranges from various published articles, LP sleeves, prefaces of books to festival greetings. It covers, from Henry Cartier Bresson's India visit, to Nandalal Bose's influence on Ray. The bonus is some of the rare photographs of Ray's scetches, notebooks and interviews. This one is for the fans !
May 26, 2024
Too good !
August 18, 2025
For cinephiles and ppl who are obsessed with filmmaking
It highlighted the works and ethics of one of the greats to ever do it
It highlighted the works and ethics of one of the greats to ever do it
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews