A Distinctive Strength
Bengali literature & the diaspora
One of the world's great literary traditions — carried by rivers, migration and memory — deserves a publisher that treats translation as a first art, not an afterthought.
Rivers carry silt, stories and scripts — the delta as a map of literary movement
§1Why It Matters
A tradition that has always travelled
Bengali is one of the most widely spoken languages on earth, with a literary culture that has shaped — and been shaped by — centuries of exchange. Its modern diaspora carries that culture into new languages and new cities, London among them.
POL's commitment is twofold: to bring Bengali writing into English with the literary care it deserves, and to publish diaspora writers whose work already lives between worlds. This is a strength we hold proudly — and openly, as part of a programme that welcomes every tradition.
§2The Programme
Four strands of work
Bengali literature in English
Publishing translations of Bengali fiction, poetry and essays — classic and contemporary — for readers who have waited too long to meet them.
Diaspora writing
A home for writers of the Bengali diaspora, whose work moves between languages, memories and homelands — in London, Dhaka, Kolkata and far beyond.
Scholarship & research
Supporting research on Bengali literary history, translation studies and diaspora culture, and publishing it for general as well as academic readers.
Cultural exchange
Readings, conversations and partnerships that bring Bengali writing into dialogue with other literatures — in both directions.