The Dead Fish

Machhali Mari Hui, Rajkamal Choudhary’s seminal masterpiece of Hindi literature, is a fearless anatomy of sexual orientation, identity and emotional tumult set in mid-20th-century Kolkata.

Translated into English for the first time as The Dead Fish, the novel explores the psychological depths of Nirmal Padmavat, a ruthless businessman whose personal life is marked by emotional volatility and contradictory sexuality. His complex relationships—particularly with Shirin, Priya and his beloved Kalyani—reveal a disturbing and fragmented self, crushed between deification and confusion, longing and detachment.

Rajkamal firmly brings homosexuality to the forefront, a bold move for his time. Priya and Shirin, both queer, form part of a muddled psychological and emotional nexus that overwhelms Nirmal’s inner world. He is likened to Goethe’s Mephisto, Shakespeare’s Othello and Brontë’s Heathcliff for his bestiality. Nirmal’s violation of Kalyani’s daughter, Priya, reinforces his own confused identity and his ineptitude of connecting with women in a healthy manner.

The metaphor of the dead fish echoes throughout and evokes themes of barrenness, enmeshment and unfulfilled desires. Through lyrical prose and skilfully embroidered subplots, coupled with an unconventional and experimental writing style, Rajkamal Choudhary critiques hostile societal norms and reveals the intense struggles associated with queer identity.

In an era when homosexuality is striving for rightful recognition within the social fabric, The Dead Fish feels more urgent and relevant now than ever before.

Rajkamal Choudhary (1929-67) was an Indian poet, short story writer, novelist, critic and thinker. He wrote in both Maithili and Hindi and was well-versed in Bengali, having translated Shankar's Chourangi and Bani Ray's Chokhe Amar Trishna into Hindi. Choudhary was known as 'a bold leader of new poetry' for his experimental style. He was born Manindra Narayan Choudhary in Mahishi, Bihar, and people affectionately called him Phool Babu.

In his short lifespan of less than 38 years, he contributed more than one hundred short stories, several novels and plays, dozens of articles and essays, and hundreds of poems. Choudhary emerged as a monumental writer in his mother tongue, Maithili, as well as in Hindi.

He was one of the most iconic literary figures of his time, a trailblazer, a trendsetter and a visionary whose works resonate even today.

Mahua Sen is an author, poet and translator. A recipient of the Reuel International Poetry Prize, the Poesis Award for Excellence in Literature, and the Poet of the Year (2022) award by Ukiyoto Publishing, her recent book Nostalgia Crafting a Home Within (Red River)-an Amazon bestseller in Asian Literature-garnered the prestigious Maharshi Ved Vyas International Award for Poetry in 2024. The book was also shortlisted for the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards.

For Mahua, writing is synonymous with breathing, and literature serves as a compass, guiding her through the promenade of existence. In the echoes of literature, she finds her voice.

Mahua is a management professional and lives in Hyderabad with her family.