Speaking of Films Satyajit Ray

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In 1955, the release of Pather Panchali heralded the arrival of a master in the world of cinema. Over the next forty years, Satyajit Ray came to be regarded as one of the world's finest film-makers. Today, almost thirty years after his death, he continues to be India's most respected name in international film circles. Apart from being a brilliant director, Ray was also a prolific writer of novels, short stories and essays on cinema.

Speaking of Films brings together some of Ray's most memorable writings on film and film-making. With the masterly precision and clarity that characterize his films, Ray discusses a wide array of subjects: the challenges of working with rank amateurs, and the innovations in the face of technological, financial and logistical constraints. This seminal collection of essays on cinema retains the lucidity and simplicity that is a hallmark of Ray's writing, and gives an invaluable insight into the mind of a genius.

Fans of Satyajit Ray's cinema will certainly be familiar with Our Films, Their Films, a collection of his writings on cinema that was published in 1976. Readers and moviegoers outside of Bengal may not have heard, however, of Bishay Chalachitra, a compilation of Ray's articles on cinema written in Bengali. These articles were written over a span of twenty-five years and address issues not covered in Our Films, Their Films. The first article in Bishay Chalachitra dates back to 1955, the year that Pather Panchali, Ray's first film, was released, The remaining pieces in the book deal with various aspects of Indian and international cinema and contain extremely interesting comments from Ray on his own art.

This is the very first time that Bishay Chalachitra is appearing in translation-and thus, for the first time, readers outside Bengal will be able to read these 'lost' pieces on cinema by the master film-maker. I must commend Gopa Majumdar for her marvellous translation that brings Ray's writings to life in English. Speaking of Films also contains 'My Life, My Work', the text of the Amal Bhattacharji lecture that Satyajit Ray delivered in 1982, which is being published in book form for the very first time.

**Contents and Sample Pages**