L. Somi Roy in conversation with Preeti Gill

The Sahitya Akademi award-winning Manipuri author Binodini's book was recently translated into English as The Princess and the Political Agent by her son L. Somi Roy. A moving and evocative novel, it is based on the love story of her aunt Princess Sanatombi and Lt. Col. Henry P. Maxwell, the British representative in the subjugated Tibeto-Burman kingdom of Manipur. Woven together with a deep sense of sorrow, empathy and wit, the tale follows a forbidden love story in the midst of the Anglo-Manipuri war of 1891 and unfolds Manipur's complex relationship with India and the British Raj. In conversation with editor and literary agent Preeti Gill, Roy unfurls a tragic account of love, war and pride while exploring the many nuances of the translation.