India, June 13 -- Sanjay Sircar's Fantasy Fictions from the Bengal Renaissance: Abanindranath Tagore: The Make-Believe Prince (Kheerer Putul) : Gaganendranath Tagore: Toddy-Cat the Bold (Bhondar Bahadur) (Oxford University Press) has to be viewed at three levels - his location of both works, widely known in the Bengali-speaking world, in a new Little Tradition emerging from the massive creative churning of the Bengal Renaissance; the global discourse around children's literature and fantasy and folk tales; and the quality and authenticity of his English translations of the two works.
Evaluation of translations can be dicey. Views differ. Beginning with the titles, Toddy-Cat the Bold is appropriate but Make-Believe Prince for Kheerer Putul ...