Synopses & Reviews
Satyjit Ray's films include the
Apu Trilogy,
The Music Room,
Charulata,
Days and Nights in the Forest,
The Chess Players, and
The Stranger. He also made comedies, musical fantasies, detective films, and documentaries. He was an exceptionally versatile artist who won almost every major prize in cinema, including a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1992. This is the best-known biography of the film giant, based on extensive interviews with Ray himself, his actors, collaborators, and a deep knowledge of Bengali culture. This second edition contains extensive new material covering Ray's final three films made in 1989-1991, a discussion of his artistic legacy, and the most comprehensive bibliography of Ray's own writings.
Review
"... an extraordinarily good, detailed and selfless book."--V.S. Naipaul
"I have read this book with profound admiration for its research and the manner in which it has integrated the details. It is an important document as well as a literary contribution."--R.K. Narayan
"...extremely thorough often perceptive and at times highly entertaining."--Salman Rushdie
Synopsis
Satyajit Ray's films include the Apu trilogy, The Music Room, Charulata, Days and Nights in the Forest, The Chess Players and The Stranger. He also made comedies, musicals, detective films and documentaries. Beginning with the classic Pather Panchali in 1955, Ray was an exceptionally versatile artist who won almost every major prize in cinema, including the Oscar for lifetime achievement just before his death in 1992. Akira Kurosawa said of him Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon. This is a definitive biography of this movie giant, based on extensive interviews with Ray himself, his actors and collaborators, and a deep knowledge of Bengali culture. Revised and updated following Ray's death, the book covers his final films and his artistic legacy and includes a comprehensive bibliography of Ray's writings.
About the Author
Andrew Robinson is the author of acclaimed works on Rabindranath Tagore, and the editor of three screenplays by Satyajit Ray. He is literary editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements * List of Illustrations * Note on the pronunciation and spelling of Bengali * Introduction: Getting to Know Ray * A Bengali Banyan Tree: The Ray Family * Early Years1921-40 * Santiniketan and Tagore 1940-2 * Commercial Artist and Critic 1943-50 * The Making of Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) 1950-5 * The Apu Trilogy 1955-9: Pather Panchali, Aparajito (The Unvanquished), the World of Apu (Apur Sansar) * Comedies: The Philosopher's Stone (Parash Pathar) 1958, Mahapurush (The Holy Man) 1964 * The Music Room (Jalsaghar) 1958 * The Goddess (Devi) 1960 * Three Daughters (Teen Kanya) 1961 * Kanchenjungha 1962 * Abhijan (The Expedition) 1962 * Mahanagar (The Big City) 1963 * Charulata (The Lonely Wife) 1964 * Kapurush (The Coward) 1965 * Nayak (The Hero) 1966 * Musicals: The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) 1969, The Kingdom of Diamonds (Hirak Rajar Dese) 1980 * Days and Nights in the Forest (Aranyer Din Ratri) 1969 * The Caluctta Trilogy: The Adversary (Pratidwandi) 1970, Company Limited (Seemabaddha) 1971, The Middle Man (Jana Aranya) 1975 * Distant Thunder (Asani Sanket) 1973 * Detective Films: Chiriakhana (The Zoo) 1967, The Golden Fortress (Sonar Kella) 1974, The Elephant God (Joi Baba Felunath) 1978 * The Chess Players (Shatranj ke Khilari) 1977 * Two 1964, Pikoo 1980 * Deliverance (Sadgati) 1981 * The Home and the World (Ghare Baire) 1984 * Documentaries: Sikkim 1971, Sukumar Ray 1987, Rabindranath Tagore 1961, Bala 1976, The Inner Eye 1972 * Unmade Films: The Mahabharata, A Passage to India, The Alien * Ray as Designer, Illustrator, and Writer * "Some Aspects of His Craft": Ray as Film-maker * "The Inner Eye" * Glossary * Filmography * Notes * Bibliography * Index * Koh-i-noor: An Enemy of the People (Ganasatru 1989), Branches of the Tree (Sakha Prasakha) 1990, The Stranger (Agantuk) 1991, and the Legacy of Satyajit Ray
Acknowledgements * List of Illustrations * Note on the pronunciation and spelling of Bengali * Introduction: Getting to Know Ray * A Bengali Banyan Tree: The Ray Family * Early Years1921-40 * Santiniketan and Tagore 1940-2 * Commercial Artist and Critic 1943-50 * The Making of Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) 1950-5 * The Apu Trilogy 1955-9: Pather Panchali, Aparajito (The Unvanquished), the World of Apu (Apur Sansar) * Comedies: The Philosopher's Stone (Parash Pathar) 1958, Mahapurush (The Holy Man) 1964 * The Music Room (Jalsaghar) 1958 * The Goddess (Devi) 1960 * Three Daughters (Teen Kanya) 1961 * Kanchenjungha 1962 * Abhijan (The Expedition) 1962 * Mahanagar (The Big City) 1963 * Charulata (The Lonely Wife) 1964 * Kapurush (The Coward) 1965 * Nayak (The Hero) 1966 * Musicals: The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) 1969, The Kingdom of Diamonds (Hirak Rajar Dese) 1980 * Days and Nights in the Forest (Aranyer Din Ratri) 1969 * The Caluctta Trilogy: The Adversary (Pratidwandi) 1970, Company Limited (Seemabaddha) 1971, The Middle Man (Jana Aranya) 1975 * Distant Thunder (Asani Sanket) 1973 * Detective Films: Chiriakhana (The Zoo) 1967, The Golden Fortress (Sonar Kella) 1974, The Elephant God (Joi Baba Felunath) 1978 * The Chess Players (Shatranj ke Khilari) 1977 * Two 1964, Pikoo 1980 * Deliverance (Sadgati) 1981 * The Home and the World (Ghare Baire) 1984 * Documentaries: Sikkim 1971, Sukumar Ray 1987, Rabindranath Tagore 1961, Bala 1976, The Inner Eye 1972 * Unmade Films: The Mahabharata, A Passage to India, The Alien * Ray as Designer, Illustrator, and Writer * 'Some Aspects of His Craft': Ray as Film-maker * 'The Inner Eye' * Glossary * Filmography * Notes * Bibliography * Index * Koh-i-noor: An Enemy of the People (Ganasatru 1989), Branches of the Tree (Sakha Prasakha) 1990, The Stranger (Agantuk) 1991, and the Legacy of Satyajit Ray