Inclusive Anthology ‘The Big Book Of Odia Literature’ Defining The Culture Of Odisha Released

Bhubaneswar: An anthology of Odia poetry, plays, stories and essays was released in Bhubaneswar on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra.                    

Odia Fiction writer Tarunkanti Mishra, Translator Kalidash Mishra, Former Income Tax Commissioner Pradosh Chandra Mohanty and Retired IAS Officer Jagadish Chandra Mohanty unveiled the book, The Big Book of Odia Literature, on Sunday.

It includes more than one hundred poets, thirty short story writers, two playwrights and twenty-three essayist’s works. Poetry of ten tribal languages, Sambalpuri-Koshli, Sanskrit and poetry written in English by Odia people have found place in this anthology. This is a first-of-its kind anthology published by Penguin Random House India.

“It is an unique and inclusive attempt for the first time in Odia anthology to include the poetry of tribal communities who form one fourth of Odisha’s population and exclusion of their literature does not give the real picture of Odia literature and its composite culture,” said editor of this anthology, Manu Dash.

He further stated that it will now carter the need of the non-Odia speaking people and the Odias staying overseas, who would be interested about Odia literature and cultural history.

Journalist Sampad Patnaik also had conversation with the editor about the process and the challenges faced while curating essays, stories, poems, and plays for the book. Many young and acclaimed translators, including Bikram K Das, Jatindra Kumar Nayak and Kalidas Mishra, Chittaranjan Mishra, Ajit K Kullu, Samanjasa Das, Bidyut Bhusan Jena, Sanskruti Pujari, Tyagraj Thakur and Himansu S Mohapatra, have translated original Odia articles for this collection.

On this occasion, some translators read from their works published in this anthology.