Nirendranath Chakravarti (1924-2018) was one of the greatest poets of modern India. Through his nationally and internationally acclaimed poetry, as well as novels, short stories, essays, travelogues, and autobiographical writings, Nirendranath emerged as the premier bardic chronicler of the society and politics of postcolonial West Bengal. Nirendranath was a citizen-poet, a journalist and editor, as well as a builder and nurturer of cultural-educational institutions. He helped standardize modern Bengali orthography, diction, and prosody. He was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and Fellowship. Nirendranath's writings have been translated into English and several Indian languages.

Alapan Bandyopadhyay (1961-) knew the poet for about four decades. A member of the Indian Administrative Service, Alapan has served as the Chief Secretary to the Government of West Bengal, and is now Chief Adviser to the Chief Minister of West Bengal and Chairman of the West Bengal Heritage Commission. He is the author and editor of several books on colonial and postcolonial Indian history and culture. He has presented the poet in this book within the context of postcolonial Indian society and Bengali intellectual history.