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by Fakir Mohan Senapati (Author)
Six and a Third Acres was the first modern Odia novel and has remained central to Odia literary excellence ever since. Originally published as Chha Mana Atha Guntha in the literary monthly Utkal Sahitya between 1897 and 1899, this somber tale continues to captivate readers more than a century later.
Its enduring appeal lies in Fakir Mohan Senapati's innovative narrative technique, memorable characters, wit, imagination, and sharp insights into rural life. The novel explores village politics, caste oppression, corruption, and land-grabbing under the zamindari system in colonial Odisha.
At its center is Ramchandra Mangaraj, a cunning zamindar from the village of Govindpur, notorious for seizing land from poor peasants and farmers. This time, his greedy attention turns to a small plot--six and a third acres--owned by a humble, devout weaver couple. Unable to resist the zamindar's manipulative schemes, the couple falls victim to the harsh realities of a caste-ridden society.
This exceptional new translation by Leelawati Mohapatra, Paul St-Pierre, and K. K. Mohapatra brings fresh life to one of the most remarkable novels in Indian literature.
Author Biography
FAKIR MOHAN SENAPATI (1843- 1918) was an Indian novelist, short story writer, poet, philosopher, and social reformer. He is regarded as the father of modern Odia literature. LEELAWATI MOHAPATRA published her debut novel, Hanging by a Tail, in 2008. She has co-translated (with K. K. Mohapatra and Paul St-Pierre) extensively from Odia into English. Her books of translation include, among others, The Greatest Odia Stories Ever Told, The HarperCollins Book of Oriya Short Stories, Ants, Ghosts and Whispering Trees: An Anthology of Oriya Short Stories, J. P. Das: Sundardas, Fakir Mohan Senapati: The Bride-price and Other Stories, and Laxmikanta Mahapatra: Uncle One Eye. PAUL ST-PIERRE is a former professor of Translation Studies at Montreal University. He has co-edited several books on translation theory and practice and has spent nearly a quarter-century collaborating with, apart from the Mohapatras, several Odia translators, such as Ganeswar Mishra, Basant Kumar Tripathy, Himansu Sekhar Mohapatra, Rabindra Swain, and Dipti Ranjan Patnaik. K. K. (KAMALAKANTA) MOHAPATRA has written three collections of short stories, a novel, a book of non-fiction and an autobiography. He has also translated into Odia selected stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Franz Kafka, as well as William Shakespeare's King Lear and collaborated with Leelawati Mohapatra and Paul St-Pierre on numerous works of translation from Odia into English, including most recently, The Greatest Odia Stories Ever Told.
