Sunil Gangopadhyay

Sunil Gangopadhyay
Gangopadhyay in 2010
Born	(1934-09-07)7 September 1934 Madaripur, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh)
Died	23 October 2012(2012-10-23) (aged 78) Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Pen name	Nil Lohit, Sanatan Pathak, and Nil Upadhyay[1]
Occupation	Poet novelist short story writer historian journalist
Language	Bengali
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	University of Calcutta
Period	1953–2012
Literary movement	Krittibas Confessional poetry
Notable works	Aranyer Din Ratri First Light (Prathama Alo) Those Days (Sei Somoy) Kakababu
Notable awards	Ananda Puraskar (1972, 1989) Sahitya Akademi Award (1985)
Spouse	Swati Bandopadhyay ​ (m. 1967)​ [2]
Children	Souvik Gangopadhyay (b. 1967)[2]
Signature

Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (7 September 1934 – 23 October 2012)^[1] was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic in the Bengali language.^[3][4] He was one of the foremost poets experimenting with new forms, themes, rhythms, and words in Bengali poetry in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953, along with Deepak Majumder and Ananda Bagchi, he founded the Bengali poetry magazine, Krittibas.^[3] He is regarded as one of the most prolific and popular writers in Bengali since Rabindranath Tagore.^[5][6][7]

He is best known for his novels Atmaprakash (1964), Aranyer Din Ratri, Sei Somoy, Pratham Alo (1996), and Purba Paschim; travelogues Payer Tolay Sorshe (Vol. 1 and 2); the poetry collections Eka ebong Koekjon (1958), Ami Ki Rokom Vabe Beche Achi (1966), and Hathat Nirar Janya.^[8] Sunil Gangopadhyay introduced the fictional character Kakababu, writing 36 novels in the series that became influential in Bengali children's literature. In 1985, he received the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award for his historical fiction Those Days (Sei Somoy).^[9][10]

His prose style, conversational and colloquial, simple and lucid yet deeply penetrating with often a thin layer of dry humor, has by now created a niche of its own which have influenced many later writers, not only in Bengal but elsewhere too.^[11] Sunil, according to Shankha Ghosh, "used to narrate the story using contemporary language, which often allows readers to find aspects of themselves they may have not seen, perhaps did not want to see. In doing so, Sunil skillfully turned his personal confession into a shared experience for a wide readership."^[12] Sitanshu Yashaschandra observed that in his works "the personal is never sacrificed in favor of the 'regional,' nor is 'Bengaliness' ever given up to aspire for any larger status. He is a writer of international stature, simply because he is a writer, such a good writer."^[13]