A Fistful of Moonlight. This is the evocative title of a volume of short stories that was more than a year in the making. It was formally launched at the Cotton University on the 14th of February of this year.
This volume of fourteen stories was the outcome of a unique project, the likes of which have not been seen, certainly not in Assam, and possibly not in any other part of India, too. This was the “Write Assamese” project, which featured fourteen contemporary short stories, originally written in Assamese, then translated into English. Ten of them took this final shape after intensive workshopping and editing at all stages, while the other four are by established, highly regarded authors.
The Write Assamese project, unique in its scope and vision, is a collaborative initiative of Untold Narratives, a development programme for writers marginalized by community or conflict, and BEE Books of Kolkata. It is part of the British Council’s India/UK Together, a Season of Culture. This commemorates 75 years of India’s Independence by highlighting the the friendship and cultural bonds between both the countries.
The wide scope of the project was underlined by the responses that came in early 2022 to a call for short stories across Assam, through educational institutions, media, as well as social media. Of the almost ninety stories that came in, fifteen were shortlisted by two “first readers”, and sent to Mitra Phukan, who was one of the three mentors and editors of the project. In addition, three translators were selected to work on the translations into English, under the guidance of mentor Arunava Sinha, possibly one of the best translators in India today. Also mentoring and editing the project was Lucy Hannah of Untold Narratives.
The writers, translators and mentors were taken to Kaziranga for ten days after Bihu in April, where there were intense, day long workshops on all aspects of writing, storytelling, translating and editing. Suggestions were made, most, though not all were taken. The editing process, in fact, is not something that these writers were aware of, and it was an eye opener for most of them that such intensive editing needs to take place before a story can reach the point where it is the best it can be.
The translators, too, were busy, interacting with their mentor, and also, constantly, with the writers they were working with. This too was a great learning opportunity for them. Lucy’s guidance was invaluable in all the phases, as the participants got an idea of the kind of work that international standards demand.
All of this was facilitated by BEE Books, who took care of logistics, payments, and other requirements in a thoroughly professional manner.
The editing process and intensive discussions continued over the months, over email, WhatsApp chats, and zoom calls. Since it was all across various time zones, it was a logistical challenge at times, but it was done.
It was decided also that the works of four established Assamese writers would also be included in the volume, so that readers could get a fair idea of the context in which these stories were placed.
Even before the book was formally released, several writers have been appearing in major litfests and large book fairs across India, talking about the work, and discussing the project. It is also a given that they have all benefited greatly, at this early stage in their writing careers, from the process through which a book has to go before a final, polished copy is ready to be published. And while Bee Books is the Indian publisher, a subsidiary of Hachette UK is bringing out the book in November of this year.
It is always marvellous when stories in translation travel across geographies and cultures. And certainly, “A Fistful of Moonlight” has already captured the interest of readers.
