the phantom’s howl: classic tales of ghosts and hauntings from bengal

Stories of bhoots are omnipresent in Bengali literature. Written for adults

and children by some of the best writers in the language, these stories have

entertained generations of readers since they first appeared.

Intrigue and horror abound in the pages of this collection where masters of

Bengali literature present a series of spine-chilling-and often bizarre-

encounters with the other-worldly. A half-burnt shadow dances on the walls;

a vain-glorious skeleton reminisces about her past beauty; the lonely spirit of

a young girl forever rows its boat in the marshes; and a proud English ghost

creates trouble on a train from Kolkata to Kashi. There is the cursed bed of a

Chinese man; the possessed pair of boots of a hunter; a Mughal-era house that

wants to suck the soul of its inhabitants; and an innocuous black cloth that

spells danger for all who wave it.

Comprising stories from legendary authors such as Rabindranath Tagore,

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and Hemendra Kumar Roy, to lesser-

known but equally marvellous writers like Jogeshchandra Bandyopadhyay,

Niradchandra Majumdar and Amarendranath Munshi, The Phantom’s Howl

is a quintessential representation of Bengal and its fascination with its many

bhoots and their tales. Arundhati Nath’s pitch-perfect translations bring these

household favourites to a new generation of readers.