Harry Hobbs of Kolkata and Other Forgotten Lives

Book Details

• Author: Devasis Chattopadhyay

• Publisher: Paper Missile

• Binding: Paperback

• ISBN: 9788119626144

• Release Date: 25-07-2024

• Pages: 316

About the Book

Harry Hobbs of Kolkata and Other Forgotten Lives is a captivating collection of nine historical chronicles from 19th-century Kolkata. These lesser-known stories, carefully curated by Devasis Chattopadhyay, offer a rare glimpse into the lives of forgotten figures who played a part in shaping the city’s history. Some narratives were found in dusty government files, others in old newspapers, and a few in private family memoirs. These accounts provide an intriguing look at the fascinating yet often overlooked figures who shaped the city during a time of significant change and upheaval.

The protagonists in these stories include middle and junior civil or military officials, puisne judges, an opera impresario, a piano tuner, a mercenary, a hotelier, a writer, a publisher, a lawyer, and even a police detective who also wrote crime stories. Through their lives and contributions, readers are transported to a period when Kolkata’s syncretic identity was being molded by a mix of European and American settlers, and the city was on the cusp of transformation.

These forgotten figures, though not widely known today, made extraordinary contributions to the social, cultural, and intellectual fabric of Kolkata. In retelling their stories, Chattopadhyay invites readers to step back in time and explore a Kolkata that was yet to experience many of the modern advancements we now take for granted.

About the Author
Devasis Chattopadhyay is a bilingual author and columnist, known for his writing on urban history and culture. Professionally, he is a Corporate Reputation Adviser and Brand Strategist. A writer since the mid-1980s, his non-fiction works on various subjects have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and web portals. His debut novel, Without Prejudice, was published in 2017 and was later translated into Malayalam as Nisha Narthaki. Harry Hobbs of Kolkata and Other Forgotten Lives is his second book and first non-fiction monograph.