`Samaresh Basu (1924-88), a major figure in modern Bengali fiction, has been at the centre of some of the most acrimonious controversies on issues relating to politics and sexuality as they have surfaced in his works. ....Basu remains the most representative storyteller of Bengal's suburban life, as distinct from other well-known authors who had faithfully painted the life and problems of either Bengal's rural society, or the urban middle class.'
    (-- from the cover blurb)

The book contains an 18-page introduction by the translatorand a glossary.