Critically acclaimed Indian author, Sabarna Roy’s new book called “Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020,” comprising a Novella, aptly named, Duality and the Winter Poems 2020 consisting of an anthology of 20 poems. It will be an understatement to say that the book does make for a very compelling read.
“The ideas that feature in this book have been playing in my mind for months. I penned down the poems in the book in March 2020 and finalised the draft of the Novella in April. So, the book didn’t take much time to write but the process of writing it was extremely intense. I sincerely hope that my readers can feel that intensity when they read it,” said Roy while talking about his new book, which has already caught the fancy of many of his followers and getting positive reviews on Goodreads and Amazon platforms.
Published in August 2020 by Leadstart Publishing, Roy’s new book is his 6th fiction work and it revolves around dualism and complexity of human relationships and human mind. The book tells a compelling tale narrated in an equally unique manner.
The novella, in the background is a sweetly evolving dialogue between a young girl and her step-father. In the foreground, however, it is a brutal dissection of ideas pivoted around dualism of human life by discussing literary characters like, Lolita, Humbert Humbert, Anna Karenina, and Nikhilesh; thought-leaders like Hegel, Marx, and Heisenberg; political phenomena like, the Bolshevik Revolution; schizophrenia, love as an idea, and the secret love story of TS Eliot; and ecological phenomena like, marine conservation.
The way Roy deals with these myriad subjects through the dialogues of his characters is unique as it can be. The readers feel almost as if they are engaged in a conversation with the author, to make them realize the plurality of life and accepting it to find peace and harmony within ourselves.
The poem cycle is an anthology of 20 sharp edged poems that excite and thrill you as you are encapsulated in the whirlwind of the confrontations between the poet and his alter-ego. The poems prove to be a journey through several moods of the human psyche. It also deals with the side of the brain that is said to be responsible for committing dark deeds.
The book is being appreciated as a must-read by discerning readers having an appreciation for literary works exploring the complexities of the human mind. It has already sold thousands of copies.
Right from his first book, Pentacles, Roy has proven his ability to explore the darker sides of the human mind. His characters are all human with common flaws like greed, jealousy, benevolence, love, lust and betrayal that we see all around us. With no obvious protagonists and antagonists, Roy’s characters are devoid of stereotypes and as close to our real world as possible.
Roy’s uncanny ability to look through the human mind with all its frailties and capture its essence in his books have endeared him to the thinking readers. Those who are familiar with his earlier works will definitely find his latest book as compelling.
Roy has the distinction of being awarded the Literoma Laureate Award in 2019, Literoma Star Achiever Award 2020. His book, Random Subterranean Mosaic: 2012 – 2018, was adjudged the best Book of the Year 2019 by salismania (dot) com.
Roy is a trained Civil Engineer by profession and an accomplished author by choice. While he was always aware of his love and flair for writing, he took it up professionally only after having spent 19 years in the corporate sector. He has penned 5 critically acclaimed bestsellers over the last few years before his latest, Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020, came along.