The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries | Saradindu Bandyopadhyay | Book Review

Byomkesh Bakshi is an evergreen character of a Bengali Investigator who despised the word “Detective” to describe his profession but instead liked to call himself a “Truth Seeker”. Resembling a little like Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh can be said to be the Indian Sherlock. Read the publication history, genre, the Byomkesh Bakshi book review of The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay in this post below and enjoy reading this Byomkesh Bakshi book.

An iconic Indian Detective, Read some of the best Byomkesh Bakshi mysteries in The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay | #BookReview on #NjkinnysBlog #NjkinnyRecommends #BookBoost Share on X

About this Byomkesh Bakshi Book:

Title and Author: The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay
English Translator: Sreejata Guha
No. of Pages: 315
Publication Date: originally in 1950s; This book by Penguin India (9 May 2006)
Genre: Classics, Detective Fiction, Bengali Literature, English Translation, Anthology, Indian Literature, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Short Story Collection
Language: English (originally in Bengali)

 

The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay Book Review:

Byomkesh Bakshi is an evergreen character of a Bengali Investigator who despised the word “Detective” to describe his profession but instead liked to call himself a “Truth Seeker”. Resembling a little like Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh can be said to be the Indian Sherlock.

I truly fell in love with him after watching the very famous TV series based on his cases. This was aired on Doordarshan and featured Rajit Kapoor as Byomkesh. So, it was this TV series in Hindi that brought the Bengali character into our non-Bengali knowledgeable homes. And made this character so well known outside the Bengali community.

The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries contains four Byomkesh Bakshi stories that are translated in English by Sreejata Guha. I had been on the lookout for good translations of Byomkesh Bakshi stories either in Hindi or English to read. So, when a friend recommended this book, I just had to read it myself. I was excited to know if the translation had preserved the true essence of the mysteries.

Things I Liked:

The cover of the book is not attractive. So, it is only the title, the author’s name and the blurb that will attract readers towards this book at first glance.

4 short mysteries are covered in the book, namely: The Menagerie (Chidiyakhana), The Jewel Case (Monimondon), The Will That Vanished (Khunji Khunji Nari) and The Quills of the Porcupine (Shajarur Kanta). The cases are not in any order but this does not hamper the entertainment value in the least because they are all standalone Byomkesh Bakshi stories.

The English translation by Sreejata Guha is skilfully done. And she manages to capture the essence of Bengal in the year range of 1953 to 67. So, her descriptions create a mental picture of that time. A time when life was not as chaotic and yet crime and criminals were just as cunning as today!

Then for people like me who don’t understand Bengali and so can’t read the original work of the author, her translation of the four later cases of Byomkesh Bakshi’s life are like a breath of fresh air and very enjoyable. Nowhere did the translation feel odd. But instead merged beautifully to bring out dialogues just like they would have been woven in the Bengali original.

Then all the four cases covered in this book are among the best of Byomkesh Bakshi’s career. And I loved reading them. So, a great addition to my book collection, this book is a must have.

These are stories that can be read and re-read any number of times. So, I enjoyed reading this book. And started writing this Byomkesh Bakshi book review as soon as I finished. The cases are intelligent, ingenious, brain exercising and shocking in their solution!

Conclusion:

All in all, The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay is a must read that Njkinny recommends to all lovers of mystery and suspense. So, take a ride down the history lane to a Bengal in India of the past and follow Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit as they tackle unconventional crimes and criminals.

Hence I give 4.5 out of 5 stars to this book and hope the publishers and Sreejata bring out translations of the other Byomkesh Bakshi stories too!

Buy From:

AMAZON

Read this Byomkesh Bakshi #BookReview and go grab this engaging English Anthology of some of this Indian Sherlock Holmes' best #mysteries on #NjkinnysBlog #NjkinnyRecommends @PenguinIndia #MustRead #BookBoost Share on X

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