Barisal and Beyond: Seely’s love letter to Bengali literature
As UPL republishes Clinton B Seely’s beloved essay collection, academics came together to discuss the complexities of identity, morality, and more in an engaging panel discussion
We have all read literary masterpieces written by Bengali authors throughout the last few centuries. Some sparked revolution, others changed the way we think.
But how often do we read a book that goes beyond the limits of nationality and borders? University Press Limited (UPL) reopened exactly that opportunity by republishing 'Barisal and Beyond'.
On 11 October, UPL held a publication ceremony for Clinton B Seely's Barisal and Beyond. The book was inspired by Seely's experience of Barisal in his early career.
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The discussion panel consisted of the author himself, alongside prominent figures such as Pabitra Sarkar, Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Professor Firdous Azim, Faruq Mainuddin and last but not least, Dr Nazia Manzoor. Although many of the speakers, including the author, joined remotely, they together led a thoughtful and engaging discussion.
In the book, Seely explores centuries of Bengali literature and draws a relation between pre-modern literature such as 'Mangal-Kavya' and Tagore's 'Tasher Desh'.
Upon being asked about this unique relation, he explained the need for balance. "Compromise would be appreciated," Seely said.
Professor Gayatri had an interesting point of view on this. An opponent of identity based on ethnicity and social status, she doesn't believe one can only belong to one place or identity, or as she likes to put it, "against identity politics."
Another interesting parallel drawn in Seely's work was the link between Tagore's alleged affair with his sister-in-law and Satyajit's adaptation of that in 'Charulata'. The panellists also discussed the duality of morals in our society and how consequences for character were different.
Seely is a renowned translator of Bengali literature, best known for her previous translation of 'Meghnad Badh Kavya'.
Seely's love for Bengali literature started when he visited Barisal to teach biology at a local school as a US Peace Corps volunteer. For the next two years, he learned Bangla from a local missionary school.
After returning to the US, he enrolled in the University of Chicago's Department of South Asian Languages and gained his Master's degree in 1968.
Upon meeting Jyotirmoy Datta in Iowa at a writer's workshop, he was inspired by him to take Jibanananda Das as the subject of his doctoral research. His work on Jibanananda was completed in 1976, titled 'Doe in Heat: A Critical Biography of the Bengali poet Jibanananda Das'.
His love for Bengali literature deepened with time, and the enlightening panel discussion was a true reflection of his passion.
