Three Rays: Stories from Satyajit Ray

‘3 Rays is like exploring the Mother Earth, and finding the rare treasures’-Gulzar, poet, lyricist and film-maker

‘Satyajit Ray’s work is like a beautiful scene from nature, and that’s the reason we get lost in his beautiful art’ -Shoojit Sircar, film-maker

‘Ray’s magic, the simple poetry of his images and their emotional impact, will always stay with me’-Martin Scorsese, film director, producer, screenwriter and actor

‘Satyajit Ray’s artifice and honesty set him apart from other film directors’-The Guardian

‘Satyajit Ray’s world of restless watchfulness and nuance’-The New York Times

‘The quiet but deep observation … have impressed me greatly’-Akira Kurosawa, film-maker

The most anticipated book on the centenary birth anniversary of Satyajit Ray

An amazingly brilliant collection of Satyajit Ray’s previously unpublished autobiographical writings, illustrations, fictions and non-fictions

A collector’s item, 3 Rays is a source of delight for every reader

Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), through his life, philosophy and works offered a unique aesthetic sensibility, which took Indian cinema, art and literature to a new height. An ace designer, music composer, illustrator and a gifted writer, Ray gave us the awe-inspiring sleuth Feluda, and the maverick scientist, Professor Shonku-two iconic characters loved and revered by millions of readers.

On the occasion of his centenary birth anniversary, 3 Rays: Stories from Satyajit Ray, the first book in The Penguin Ray Library series, opens a window to the brilliance of this Renaissance man. With more than forty stories and poems along with many unpublished works, autobiographical writings and illustrations by Ray, this volume offers a unique glimpse into Ray’s creative genius.

Review

3 Rays is a rare treasure-house of talent that breaks all barrier between different genres of art, media and technology, delineating a truly striking legacy of the Bengal Renaissance that is as global as it is local. ― Scroll

If you are looking for a book that will amuse you with its whimsical rhymes, take you on adventures to exotic lands while penned in at home by the pandemic, bring on the chills and thrills with an unexpected twist in the tale, 3 Rays is the book for you. ― Free Press Journal

3 Rays is a collectible-not merely for the treasure trove of texts it contains but also for being a beautifully designed book, studded with graphics and illustrations by the three Rays ― Mint

a masterly rendition ― The Tribune

‘3 Rays, a masterly rendition’ — Amitabha Bhattacharya ― The Tribune Published On: 2021-05-30

‘If you are looking for a book that will amuse you with its whimsical rhymes, take you on adventures to exotic lands while penned in at home by the pandemic, bring on the chills and thrills with an unexpected twist in the tale, 3 Rays is the book for you. — Roshmila Bhattacharya ― The Free Press Journal Published On: 2021-05-30

‘A collection of Satyajit Ray’s translation of his grandfather’s, father’s and his own writings pays a fitting tribute to his many-faced genius’ — Somak Ghoshal ― Mint Lounge Published On: 2021-05-08

‘This book which contains, the published and unpublished works of the three Masters, 3 Rays, is like exploring the Mother Earth, and finding the rare treasures’. — Gulzar, poet, lyricist and film-maker

‘I have noticed one very striking factor in [Ray’s] literary works-there are some characters who possess tremendous mental or physical strength but at the same time show an almost childlike innocence. Say, for example, the Tellus. It has an innocent attitude in its desire to play with a child. And then there is the alien Pink Man or the robot Bidhusekhar-they also have the same traits. . . . Also, most of [his] protagonists, especially in the short stories, belong to the lower middle-class; they perform clerical or petty jobs. They are essentially loners, but they have a world of their own imagination’. — Aparna Sen, film-maker and actor

‘Satyajit Ray’s work is like a beautiful scene from nature, and that’s the reason we get lost in his beautiful art. The mysticism in his work can only be experienced and is very difficult to explain, as it’s seemingly ordinary. When we look at his work deeply, this ‘ordinary’ evokes mysticism.’ — Shoojit Sircar, film-maker

‘Ray’s magic, the simple poetry of his images and their emotional impact, will always stay with me’ — Martin Scorsese, film director, producer, screenwriter and actor

‘Satyajit Ray’s artifice and honesty set him apart from other film directors’ ― The Guardian

‘The work of Satyajit Ray presents a remarkably insightful understanding of the relations between cultures, and his ideas remain pertinent to the great cultural debates in the contemporary world, not least in India.’ — Amartya Sen, Thomas W. Lamont University Professor, and professor of economics and philosophy

‘Satyajit Ray’s world of restless watchfulness and nuance’ ― The New York Times

‘The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race … have impressed me greatly’. — Akira Kurosawa, film-maker

About the Author

Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), one of the greatest film-makers of our times, received the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1992. In the same year he was honoured with the Bharat Ratna. A polymath and a polyglot, Ray was not only an ace designer and but also a brilliant music composer and illustrator. His writings for children, young adults and adults continue to attract readers across the world.