Tapan Kumar Pradhan - Literary Style and Notable Works

Literary Style and Notable Works

Pradhan makes powerful use of hidden symbols and allusion in his literary compositions, which often champion the cause of the oppressed and downtrodden. As a translator of poetry, he usually strives to retain the exact music and rhythm of the original. His poems, essays, cartoons, sketches, caricatures and short stories have been published in a wide range of journals like Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), Journal of Poetry Society, The Statesman, Times of India, The Samaja, Without Reserve and The Asian Age etc. The most popular among his shorter literary pieces include "Two Women", "I, She and the Sea", "Orphan", "My German Friend", "A Cab for Seventeen", "A Taste for Rats", "Run up to Kill" and "How I Became A Writer", besides the dark full length play Victim Number Ninety-nine. It is difficult to objectively assess Pradhan's contribution to world literature, as a majority of his writings have been published either anonymously or under hundreds of different pseudonyms and are scattered over myriad obscure journals in different countries. He has made beautiful translations of Maupassant's little known rare poems from the original French to English. and also compiled a collection of rare folk songs from different countries. He is also rumoured to have translated a number of spiritual classics, including the books of Paramahansa Yogananda. A few of his early poems, written in his own name during his student days, are available on various websites.