The Middleman

The novel presents a stark portrait of a city where thousands of young people search unsuccessfully for work. Somnath's journey from an idealistic job-seeker to a businessman exposes the pressures, corruption and broken values of a society driven by economic survival.

Sankar (Mani Shankar Mukherji) is one of Bengal's widely read novelists. He has written numerous Bengali works of fiction and non-fiction. Two of his novels, Seemabaddha (Company Limited) and Jana Aranya (The Middleman), were adapted into films by Satyajit Ray. Arunava Sinha, the translator, is known for translating classic and contemporary Bengali fiction into English.

Somnath Banerjee is a qualified young man unable to secure a job despite repeatedly visiting the employment exchange. He eventually enters the order-supply business as a middleman, hoping to build a successful future. As his business grows, however, he is drawn into increasingly disturbing compromises, including the exploitation of an innocent woman to secure an important contract. His transformation becomes a troubling exploration of ambition, survival, corruption and the loss of idealism.