Rohini Chowdhury provides an elegant English translation of Ardhakathanak: A Half Story in free verse, with an insightful introduction by Rupert Snell.A poetic autobiography, Banarsidas charms us with his transparency & frankness, revealing as much of himself as possible. & he punctuates the fast-flowing narrative of his life every now & then to muse on the nature ofhuman existence. The result is an astonishing account that is more modern than medieval in tone, & free of formulaic conventions & stylized ornamentation. At the end of his 'half story', Banarasidas becomes as intimate to us as an old friend. We know the ups & downs of his life almost as well as we know our own & we come to identify with his intellectual & spiritual struggles, & perhaps even share them.