Genre: Fiction

Imprint: Moving Words


Read the conversation between Swapnamoy Chakraborty and Biswajit Panda.


Translated from the Bengali by Kathakali Jana

The Ruffian unbuttons  history and lore lurking in Kolkata’s long, overlooked underbelly. As seen through the lenses of an old ruffian– here unheard voices hold hands with the shrieks in the forgotten alley, strangest of lovers wander away, street loonies whisper in the ears of failed leaders, and abandoned children curl up into the bosoms of unloved women and together they weave a  timeless memoir of the city and its moonshines. 

Book Details

Language: ‎ English
Imprint: Moving Words
Genre: Literary Fiction
Hardcover: ‎ 132 pages
ISBN-13: 978-8196690069
Formats: Hardcover/ Kindle
Price: ₹350

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One of the most renowned literary voices of contemporary Bengali prose, Swapnamoy Chakraborty was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Academy award for his novel “Jaler Upar Pani” in 2023. With a prolific writing career spanning over five decades, he has had the unique honor of being both critically acclaimed and well-received by Bengali readers. Among other recognitions, his novel “Abantinagar” won the Bankim Puraskar in 2005. He has over thirty novels and numerous short stories to his name. The Ruffian is his first translated work in English.

Read some of his translated works.

Kathakali JAna_ANTONYM

A passionate translator and writer, Kathakali Jana heads administration and events at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata. She is a regular contributor of features and columns on Arts in various mainstream and niche publications. 

Read some of her translation works.