Iconoclastic Hindi novel returns to forefront

The Dead Fish, a translation of an iconoclastic and controversial Hindi novel, Machhali Mari Hui by Rajkamal Choudhary, is a deeply unsettling literary work.

- ANINDITA CHOWDHURY

Mahua Sen, a celebrated contemporary poet in her own right, has done a marvelous job of translating this seminal masterpiece, written some 70 years ago, retaining not only its original intensity but also reminding us of its timelessness as a literary piece and a portrait of society.

Set in mid-20th-century Calcutta, Choudhary's Machchali Mari Hui has an enduring element that serves as a testimony of its appeal as a classic literary piece and easily transcends and invades our contemporary times, centring on sexuality, social hierarchy, and systematic corruption. At the same time, it faithfully portrays the post-Independence Indian society where personal choices override the collective and traditional diktats, thumbing their noses at societal taboos.