Bhubaneswar: The iconic short story Rebati by the father of modern Odia literature, Fakir Mohan Senapati, has been translated into 36 languages including 12 foreign ones.
The translations have been compiled in a new book titled ‘Rebati: Speaking in Tongues’ which is published by Dhauli Books.
‘Rebati’, which was the first Odia short story written in 1898, was penned against the backdrop of the cholera epidemic that devastated the family of the protagonist.
Now, the new book features translations of the story in 36 languages — 22 scheduled languages and two non-scheduled Indian languages and foreign tongues such as German, Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew, Turkish, Sinhalese, Balochi and Nepali.
The anthology’s editor, Manu Dash, said it is the first such attempt in the publishing history, and, has been prepared by keeping in mind research scholars, professors of literary studies and students of comparative and world literature around the globe.
“This makes the anthology a veritable collector’s item,” he said.
Dash added that as an author in Odia language, this book is an expression of his fervent desire to showcase the rich legacy of Odia literature in the national and international arenas.
