India, Jan. 24 -- The Bengal Reader is an expansive anthology of Bengali writing in translation, presented in one expansive volume. Ranging from the 19th century to the present, it opens up the wealth of Bengali writing to a wide audience. The first section contains essays of vital social argument. These include Raja Rammohun Roy's argument against sati, Michael Madhusudan Dutt's The Slaying of Meghnad, Lalon Fokir's verse, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's satire. The second section tips its hat to Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Jagadish Chandra Bose and Meghnad Saha, among others. Other sections present works by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Satyajit Ray, Joy Goswami, Srijato and more. The end of the anthology heralds the coming of new, raw voices. The Bengal Reader reflects the literary life of Bengal across two centuries....