The Blind Alley: O Andha Gali

Originally written in Odia, the stories in this collection are a fine example of Patnaik's ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, weaving memorable stories out of commonplace events of life. The simple vendor of snacks for whom winning a bumper lottery spells the doom, a truck driver, defenseless before a sadistic mob, the young salesman whose whose indulgence in fanciful speculations cost him his hard-earned job-all emerge as unforgettable characters. The despair and disillusionment of promising students enticed into the Naxalite movement in the best part of their academic career are vividly brought out in the title story. The pathos and suffering, the hopes and frustrations, the humour and tragedy of day-to-day life depicted in the powerful and original language of the author are lucidly reproduced in the translation.