Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's Literary Legacy: 8 Books that Enriched Indian Political History

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, former Chief Minister of West Bengal and a key figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist), passed away on Thursday, August 8, 2024, at the age of 80.

While widely recognised for his political influence, Bhattacharjee was equally revered for his deep involvement in literature and the arts, leaving a lasting imprint on Bengal's educational and cultural landscape.

Bhattacharjee hailed from a family with strong literary ties. Iconic poet Sukanta Bhattacharya was his father's cousin. An alumnus of Presidency College, Kolkata, he earned a BA (Honours) degree in Bengali Literature. In fact, in the early part of his career, Bhattacherjee joined Adarsh Shankha Vidya Mandir school as a teacher.

An accomplished writer and translator, Bhattacharjee's works found a dedicated readership over the years. Especially during Bengal's Durga Puja celebrations; where it is a tradition to set up book stalls outside prominent pandals, his books consistently ranked among the bestsellers.

8 Books by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee that Will Make You Think

• Clandestine in Chile: The Adventures of Miguel Littin (1988) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Bhattacharjee into Bengali in 1996.
• The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor (2007) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Bhattacharjee into Bengali.
• Advances in Agronomy (2007)
• Advances in Jute Agronomy, Processing, and Marketing (2012)
• Phire Dekha (Looking Back), volumes 1 and 2, published in 2015 and 2017.
• Nazi Germanyr Janmo O Mrityu (The Birth and Death of Nazi Germany), published in 2018.
• Swarger Niche Mahabishrinkhala (Chaos Under Heaven), published in 2019.
• Ei Ami Mayakovsky (This Is Mayakovsky), translated in 2020.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's legacy is marked not only by his illustrious political career but also by his significant contributions to Bengali literature, culture and history.