From Kolkata to the nobel stage: Seagull books and Laszlo Krasznahorkai’s shared journey - GetBengal Story

October is the month of the Nobels. This is the time when the Royal Swedish Academy announces the names of the Nobel laureates. For Bengalis, however, this October has been a month of heartbreak. A hundred and thirteen years after Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel win, Bengal had been dreaming of another Bengali receiving the prize in Literature. But that dream remained unfulfilled. In 2025, the Nobel Prize in Literature went to Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai.

According to the Swedish Academy, Krasznahorkai’s body of work highlights “the power of art in the face of the horrors of apocalypse.” The Royal Swedish Academy described his creations as both “mesmerizing” and “visionary.”

Even though the Nobel in Literature didn’t come to Bengal this year, there’s an intimate connection between the laureate and Kolkata. A renowned Kolkata-based publishing house, Seagull Books, happens to be the publisher of Krasznahorkai’s only non-fiction work — Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens. Founded in the 1980s, Seagull Books has, for four decades, been introducing Indian readers to English translations of world literature. The team at Seagull Books is elated at Krasznahorkai’s win and proudly shared the news on social media, expressing their joy at being the publisher of one of his books.

Krasznahorkai mainly writes fiction. Born in 1954 in the Hungarian town of Gyula, he initially studied law before choosing writing as his profession. His first novel, Satantango, was published in 1985 and made a powerful impression on readers. The Nobel Committee mentioned his novel Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming. Other acclaimed works include War and War, The Melancholy of Resistance, A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East, and Seiobo There Below. He won the Man Booker International Prize for Seiobo There Below.

Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens is a travelogue based on Krasznahorkai’s journey to China in the early 2000s. It was first published in 2004 by Budapest’s Magvető Publishing and later translated into English and released by Seagull Books in 2016.

In an interview with Bongodorshon.com, Seagull Books editor Sayani Ghosh shared:

“The book (Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens) was published in 2016. We first connected with the author in 2012. His American publisher, New Directions in New York, is an independent publisher like us. Since we publish translations of European and American writers, a discussion between us and New Directions led to our acquiring this nonfiction work. Krasznahorkai was already a well-known author at that time. Our publisher, Naveen Kishore, was familiar with his writing. So, in 2012, through New Directions, we began working on his nonfiction travel book on China. When the idea of publication came up, New Directions suggested that Seagull Books publish it.”

Sayani added that the first hardcover edition of Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens came out in 2016, followed by a second paperback edition. The book’s cover design and editing were done by Sunandini Banerjee of Seagull Books. On Krasznahorkai’s Nobel win, Sayani said:

“It’s an incredibly joyous moment. There’s always a thrill when one of our authors is recognized at this level. To see someone receive a lifetime’s worth of recognition is truly inspiring — a proud and happy moment for all of us!”

This pride is not just Seagull’s — it belongs to Kolkata as well. Bengalis have a deep and abiding love for books. Kolkata celebrates its book fair like a festival, thousands of young people publish little magazines, and alongside century-old publishing houses, new ones emerge every year. Bengalis live through their books. So, knowing that a Kolkata-based publisher is behind a Nobel-winning author’s work fills every book lover in Bengal with immense pride.

Note: 
Translated by Krishnendu Mitra

To read the original Bengali article, click here.