Nowhere People

Set in turbulent post-Partition Bengal, Sabitri Roy's epic novel Bawdwip, translated into English for the first time, tells a story of a community which, uprooted ruthlessly from its homeland, fights resolutely to forge a new life in an alien land. It relates multiple stories: of the idealistic communists and their optimism, Dhiman and his family, of friends who share the struggle, and of violent opponents who have their own plans for the same land. In her powerful style, Sabitri Roy paints the student and labour movements of the 1950s, the communal tensions, and the struggles of a displaced community.