Postmodern Bengali Theatre: A Critical Assessment, with Reference to Select Playwrights? Works (Studies in Commonwealth Writings)

Postmodern Bengali drama holds a special place in the ever-expanding body of world theatre in the 21stcentury. A number of powerful playwrights—who write primarily in Bengali but have been widely translated and performed—are mentionably contributing, almost regularly, for achieving international prominence for Indian theatre in particular, and for the Commonwealth Stage in general. The present volume aims to collect different essays by academicians, critics, and practicing theatre-personalities to describe how ‘Postmodern Bengali Theatre’ has become an important term in today’s world of performance, play-writing, and general literature. As Bengali theatre has undergone fast and remarkable changes since the beginning of its so-called ‘post-modern period’ (in early-post-independence-India), the elements of postmodernism in select plays by noted dramatists like Badal Sircar, Bratya Basu, Ujjwal Chattopadhyay, Hara Bhattacharya, and Tirthankar Chanda, have successfully challenged the perceived hegemony and conventions of post-modern Western theatre, and earned recognition for Indian productions. Select essays in the present volume—which can provide the paradigm for critical approaches to other postmodern playwrights’ works as well—have been dedicated to assessing the dramatic oeuvre of Bratya Basu, one of the more recognized Commonwealth dramatists in the 21st century, as well as those of (select) other post-modern Bengali dramatists. Moreover, the history of development of postmodern Bengali theater and its different literary aspects have been explored so that the anthology of critical writings becomes an indispensable handbook for academicians and researchers dealing with different aspects of drama and dramaturgy.

Deb Narayan Bandyopadhyay, is the CHIEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (ACADEMICS) of SWAMI VIVEKANANDA UNIVERSITY (Bara Kanthalia, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India). Previously he served as the VICE-CHANCELLOR of BANKURA UNIVERSITY (Bankura, West Bengal), and taught at the UNIVERSITY OF BURDWAN as a PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH. He is the present SECRETARY of the INDIAN ASSIOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AUSTRALIA (EASTERN REGION). A theatre-enthusiast and critic, BANDYOPADHYAY’S(edited and solo-authored) publications include LANDSCAPE, PLACE AND CULTURE: LINKAGES BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND INDIA(Cambridge Scholars, 2011), BORDERS AND BORDER CROSSINGS: READING PARTITION, READING DIASPORA (University of Burdwan Press, 2016), ‘THE ASIAN CENTURY’: AUSTRALIA AND THE TRANS-ASIAN CULTURAL AND STRATEGIC DIPLOMACY(Aadi, 2016),TRANSNATIONAL SPACES OF INDIA AND AUSTRALIA (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), and LAKSHMI’S FOOTPRINTS AND PAISLEY PATTERNS: PERSPECTIVES ON SCOTO-INDIAN LITERARY AND CULTURAL INTERRELATIONS (Routledge, 2023).

Debasish Roy is the ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF of W.B.H.I.D.Co. LIMITED (GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL), is a noted litterateur and theatre-activist based in New Town, Kolkata (West Bengal, India). He is the editor of the reputed journal, ANYALEKHO, and the executive editor of BRATYAJON NATYAPATRA. His publications include the monograph, THE LAND RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND BENGALI THEATRE (Deep Prakashani, 2020), and edited volumes like DEBATES CONCERNING THEATRE(Kalindi Bratyajon, 2013), WAVES IN ETERNITY(Kalindi Bratyajon, 2014), THE GEM-STUDDED WEB (Kalindi Bratyajon, 2015), and THE DAWN OF SEVEN STARS(Deep Prakashani, 2017). 

Dr. Arnab Saha is an Assistant Professor of Bengali, SETH ANANDRAM JAIPURIA COLLEGE (Kolkata, West Bengal, India). In June 2019, he was the BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG FELLOWat the UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG (Heidelberg, Germany). A familiar face on television-channels for his critically-applauded debates and lectures, Dr. SAHA’s critical oeuvre includesseveral monographs on sexuality and erotic-literature, popular culture, post-modernism, 19^th-century writings, and post-independence Indian writings, including SEXUAL PRACTICES AND EROTICISM OF THE BENGALIS (Saptarshi Prakashan, 2019), THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: CHANGING TENETS OF MODERNISM (Saptarshi Prakashan, 2021), MRITYU MAYUR CONCENTRATION CAMP: A DISCUSSION REGARDING BENGALI FICTION (Saptarshi Prakashan), and ESSAYS ON THEATRE: FROM THE ERA OF SAMBHU MITRA TO THE CONTEMPORARY PERIOD (Dey’s Publishing, 2025). He has also published a large number of essays – including those on theatre – in different international and national journals. 

Mainak Banerjee is the present CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER of a Kolkata-based I.T. Company (West Bengal, India). He is a noted theatre and film critic and writer, and the consulting editor of the daily newspaper, THE MILLENNIUM POST. BANERJEE has acted as a translator forAN ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY BENGALI PLAYS BY BRATYA BASU(Bloomsbury, 2023) and EMPTY BUT NOT: A TRANSLATION OF PETER BROOKE’S ‘THE EMPTY SPACE’ (Deep Prakashani, 2020). He is one of the chief functionaries for (and co-editor of)BRATYAJON NATYAPATRA, a theatre-related-journal of international repute.

Dr. Pinaki Roy (a resident of Balurghat, Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal, India) studied English Literature at Visva-Bharati (Santiniketan, West Bengal, India) and University of North Bengal (Raja Rammohunpur, Darjeeling, West Bengal). Since 2019, he is PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH at the RAIGANJ UNIVERSITY in Raiganj (Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal). Previously, between 2008 and 2016, ROY worked as Assistant Professor at COOCH BEHAR PANCHANAN BARMA UNIVERSITY (Cooch Behar, West Bengal) and MALDA COLLEGE (Malda, West Bengal). ROY, the founding-editor of the book-series Studies in Commonwealth Writings (SCW) (Ibidem), is the present Chairman of Academic Committee of The Vidyasagar Academy–Kolkata (Government of West Bengal). His previous books include NATIONALISM AND INDIGENOUSNESS IN SELECT COMMONWEALTH WRITINGS AND FILMS: A POSTCOLONIAL REREADING (Ibidem, 2025), WORDS FROM INDIA IN THE WEST (Ibidem, 2023), THE BROKEN PENS (Aaadi, 2015), WILFRED OWEN: THE MAN, THE SOLDIER, THE POET (Books Way, 2013), HEMINGWAY’S ‘A FAREWELL TO ARMS’: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL (Books Way, 2012), THE SCARLET CRITIQUE (Sarup, 2010), and THE MANICHEAN INVESTIGATORS (Sarup, 2008). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, CLUES, WLA(JOURNAL OF THE US AIR FORCE ACADEMY), MUSE INDIA, VISVA-BHARATI QUARTERLY, ENGLISH FORUM (GAUHATI UNIVERSITY), ANYALEKHO, and (PASCHIM BANGA) NATYA AKADEMI PATRIKA.