The One Legged:: a gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist by Sakyajit Bhattacharya, translated by Rituparna Mukherjee, published by Antonym Collections
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Praise for Sakyajit Bhattacharya
The novella doesn’t just problematize the lore of Ekanore that seeks to hide the true nature of reality from children. It also calls into question another, even stronger, (mis)conception: children are the emblem of innocence. Though this myth is more than just wishful thinking, it blinds us to the complexity of children, leaving us unprepared for the rude shocks they can give us. - Scroll.in
Longlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature 2024, The One Legged has a fascinating aftertaste that lingers long in memory. However, for a gothic narrative, the catharsis is not fear-inducing but deeply poignant, as the reader remains parched for a world beyond the story’s frame. The open-ended resolution restates that poignancy is inconclusive, and despite suffering once, one can suffer again. - Purple Pencil Project
Rearing a child is not easy, especially with monsters lurking around and within.
On one leg, leaning,
Picking tamarinds, swaying.
In one hand a pot of salt,
In the other, a knife.
Cutting ears, sprinkling salt, house to house.
Old Bengali folk song on the one-legged ghost
When the moldy wall of the old mansion began to heave and the shadows of the cursed tree ruffled his nights, Tunu learned how darkness lives not only at night—that the home itself is like a sleeping giant, shrouded in secrets, grief and loss. As the receding history repeated itself, Tunu turned slowly, but definitely, into someone else.
Into something else.
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Born in 1982 and a statistician by profession, Sakyajit Bhattacharya started writing in 2002, mainly in the little magazines. To date, he has written around forty short stories and nine novels, including Ekhane Derek Bose Ache, Ekanore, Shesh Mrito Pakhi, and Rakkhoser Ghorbari, an anthology of short stories. He is interested in horror, detective and weird literature along with Catholic art.
Rituparna Mukherjee teaches English and Communication Studies at Jogamaya Devi College and is a research scholar in West-African literature at IIIT Bhubaneswar. She is a published poet, short fiction writer and a passionate translator. Her work has been published in many international magazines of repute. She translates Bengali and Hindi fiction into English and is a content editor at The Antonym magazine.
