Subrata Banerjee About the Book

About the Book

In Fragments of TimeSubrata Banerjee chronicles the history of almost all of the 20th century and beyond. It is a vivid account ofhis unconventional childhood in Dhaka and Calcutta; his youth in the turbulent times of the Indian freedom movement when began his lasting commitment to Marxism; his experiences in the army at the Eastern Front during World War II; his years of advertising and marketing in Calcutta and Bombay;a diplomatic stint in Dhaka, the city of his birth; and eventually a return to journalism, his first love. His acute awareness of global events and their consequences for the impoverished of the world made him aninveterate political activist and commentator. His personal and professional life was enriched by the many people from different nations and cultures who crossed his path and who find their place in these memoirs.

Banerjee married KarunaBanerjee (néeSen),his classmate at Calcutta University, who as an actress becamean integral part of the heritage of Bengali cinema.The story of their lifelong romance is deftly woven into these reminiscences,giving a very personal view of two unusual people inthe crucible of history.

Banerjee's daughter Shampa Banerjee, edited the manuscript. She is by profession an editor and translator and currently lives with her family in the United States.