Missing Nobel Prize will not lessen popularity of Amitav Ghosh, says Bengali authors

Kolkata: Kolkata on Thursday said that Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh missing the Nobel Prize for literature should not be considered a let down, and millions of people will continue to enjoy his books.

Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai, whose philosophical, bleakly funny novels often unfold in single sentences, won the Nobel Prize in literature Thursday for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre.

Ghosh, one of the most celebrated Indian writers in English, was being touted as a frontrunner to win the coveted prize in 2025, 112 years after Rabindranath Tagore won it in literature.

"We were all looking forward to Amitav Ghosh getting the Nobel second time after Tagore. His writings have always focused on the battle of the people in search of livelihood and succour over centuries with historical documentation," eminent Bengali author Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay told PTI.

Mukhopadhyay, a Sahitya Akademi award-winner, said he does not think his not getting the Nobel Prize will in any way diminish his appeal and popularity among readers cutting across borders.

"He was considered one of the favourites to be awarded the Nobel. That itself should be an honour," the nonagenarian author said.

One of the foremost writers of the present generation, Pracheta Gupta, also said that not getting the Nobel in no way lessens the popularity of his books or makes his seminal epochal cult works lose their lustre.

"There have been many writers across the country, including Bengal, as well as the world, who have gained iconic status among readers for their rich volume of works. How many of them got the Nobel? Did that affect the popularity and craze about their works?" Gupta said.