Dasuram's Script  (English, Paperback, Jena Monalisa)

Dasuram’s Script: New Writing From Odisha by Monalisa Jena is a collection of 16 different stories written by award winning contemporary writers from Odisha.

Summary Of The Book

In Dasuram’s Script: New Writing From Odisha, the author provides a curious selection of stories that are of Odisha origin.

Jena’s collection of stories reflects elements of human struggle and the ethical dilemmas that people in societies are often confronted by. The stories in Dasuram’s Script: New Writing From Odisha are set in disturbing scenarios, with intriguing beliefs and various forms of poverty being the shared elements.

For instance, there is the story of the jobless graduate, who one day after returning home, smothers his wife to death. Then there is the tale of a ten year old child who is sold by her caregivers to an old man in his eighties. Another story is about a newlywed bride discovering that her husband was previously married to a tree before she came into the picture. After being jailed, a tribal poet writes a script reflecting his dialect. There is also the odd tale of a young woman who falls head over heels in love with her boyfriend’s father.

Dasuram’s Script: New Writing from Odisha was published in 2013 by Harper Perennial and is edited and translated by the author. The book consists of sixteen stories by award winning writers.

About Monalisa Jena

Monalisa Jena is an author, poet, lecturer, journalist, and translator, who hails from Bhubaneswar, Orissa. She has authored more than twelve books so far. Some of these titles are Poetry In Oriya, Indramalatira Shoka, E Sabu Dhrubamuhurta, and Nisarga Dhwani.

Jena completed her Master’s degree from Ravenshaw College at Utkal University. Apart from books, she has also written translations from Oriya to English and vice versa. Jena is also an acclaimed journalist, and is well known for her reports on Odia culture and society. For her numerous contributions to literature, Jena has received many state-level awards in the short story genre, as well as for her translation work and her work on environmental issues. She currently works as a writer specializing on travel and forest-related issues.