SIX AND A THIRD ACRES

Six and a Third Acres was the first modern Odia novel, and has remained at the
heart of Odia literary excellence ever since. It was published as Chha Mana Atha
Guntha in the literary monthly Utkal Sahitya between 1897-99. Over a century after
it was first published, this sombre tale continues to attract readers because of Fakir
Mohan Senapati's innovative technique, indelible characters, wit, imagination, and
tremendous insights into the rural milieu.
The novel is about village politics, caste oppression, malpractices, and land-grabbing
under the zamindari system in colonial Odisha. Ramchandra Mangaraj, a sly zamindar
of the village of Govindpur, is notorious for taking over the lands of poor peasants
and farmers. This time, his avaricious gaze falls on a small patch of land-six and
a third acres-belonging to a humble, god-fearing weaver couple. Unable to fight
the zamindar's devious schemes, the couple succumbs to the harsher realities of
caste-ridden village life....
This exceptional new translation by Leelawati Mohapatra, Paul St-Pierre & K. K.
Mohapatra breathes new life into one of the most brilliant novels in Indian literature.