Samaresh Basu (11 December 1924 – 12 March 1988) was an Indian writer in modern Bengali literature, known for his versatility and vast range of themes. He wrote under the pen name Kalkut. Basu was awarded the 1980 Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali, by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, for his novel, Shamba. He won the 1983 Filmfare Awards for Best Story for Namkeen.

Biography

Basu was born on 11 December 1924 in Bikrampur, Dhaka (present day Bangladesh). He married Gauri Basu in 1942. In his early days, he worked at a factory at Ichapore, West Bengal. He was imprisoned between 1940 and 1950 for his involvement in trade unions and Communist party. It was in prison, he penned his first published novel, Uttaranga. After release, he devoted his time entirely to writing, refusing his old job offer. He wrote over 200 short stories and 100 novels under the pen names, Kalkut and Bhromor, revolving around themes of political activism, middle class life and sexuality, two of which were banned for a brief period with charges of obscenity. Basu received the Sahitya Akademi Award for Shambo in 1980 and Filmfare Award for Namkeen in 1983. Samaresh Basu died on 12 March 1988.

Works

Works as Kalkut

Works for children

Gogol

Samaresh Basu created two fictional detective characters: Gogol for children, and Ashok Thakur for adults. Gogol, the child detective, is more famous and widely read. Most of the Gogol stories are assembled in the Gogol Omnibus. Notable ones include:

Adaptations

Films

A number of films are based on his works including-