The Labyrinth – Gourahari Das, Translated from Odia by Manoranjan Mishra

Description

Middle of the week, in front of the school where she drops off her son every day, Draupadi witnesses something grotesque. The ludicrous ways of fate leave the ball in her court—should she inform the police, or hold on to the safety of her little boy, her husband miles away in a forest battling his own demons? Does one dare explore the limits of courage when the stakes are life and safety? From the pen of one of Odisha’s most inventive writers comes a novel of quiet perseveration and struggle for a better life within the parameters of genteel norms and bureaucracy.

Taut with atmospheric tension in Manoranjan Mishra’s artful translation, The Labyrinth is an immersive tale of the price of one’s difficult choices in fidelity to familial responsibilities and the intimate, hallucinatory voice of conscience./p>

About the Author: Gourahari Das is a Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author of more than 75 books which include collections of essays, novels, short-stories, plays, travelogues, poetry and vignettes. Many of his writings have been translated into Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Punjabi and other Indian languages, and he himself operates as a translator (into Odia) as well, winning the Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation. His work has also been adapted into television series, plays, and films.

About the Translator: Manoranjan Mishra is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Government Autonomous College, Angul, Odisha, with a career spanning 18 years of teaching experience. He is a prolific translator of Odia literature into English, with a penchant for short stories and novels.