OUR TRANSLATED BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE YOGINI BY SANGEETA BANDYOPADHYAY, TRANSLATED BY ARUNAVA SINHA (TILTED AXIS PRESS)
“I know it’s ultimately fate that drives us, and nothing else. You can do what you like, but really, you’re nothing more than a fish caught in a net.” – From The Yogini
How would you react to such a statement? Do you believe your life is ruled by fate? And nothing else?
After overhearing and then joining a discussion on fate between two colleagues in her workplace, the busy studio of a 24-7 TV channel, Homi asks herself these same questions. What does she believe in? Then days go by and her modern life in Kolkata moves on. She is a strong, young woman, with a fast-paced job and a very passionate husband, called Lalit. But, one day, everything changes, as she becomes slowly obsessed with the idea of fate and its force. On the eve of her first wedding anniversary, a bizarre, frightening figure, appears to her: a hermit only she can see, with matted locks and a beard, a blanket around his shoulder. He is calling her, whispering to her, strangely arousing her. Homi’s life is inevitably disrupted, haunted by what she is convinced is a manifestation of her own fate, which she goes on to fight with all her strength to prove her free will. How will her battle end?
After publishing Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay’s previous novels Panty and Abandon, Tilted Axis Press bring back this talented writer and her new thrilling, sensational novel. Here is the newest work from a writer who has positioned herself as a central and ground-breaking figure in the literary exploration of the themes of identity and female sexuality. Many thanks to Tilted Axis Press for bringing us the best and most innovative world literature which would otherwise not make it into English, like the incredible Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, translated by Morgan Giles, our Translated Book of the Month in March!
Take advantage of Tilted Axis Press' offer to celebrate this new publication and get two or all three books by Bandyopadhyay for 30% off! Read more here!