Solitude alumnus Sarnath Banerjee publishes the graphic novel »Absolute Jafar«

Solitude alumnus Sarnath Banerjee has published his graphic novel Absolute Jafar. His latest work is a profound and deeply personal exploration of identity, family heritage, and the fragile notion of home. Memory, migration, and political borders emerge as forces that shape human lives in ways that are both intimate and political.

Published by HarperCollins Publishers India, the book continues the story of the graphic novel Corridor. Its protagonist, Brighu, is now middle-aged and finds himself suspended between his new home in Berlin and the life he left behind in Delhi.

At the heart of the narrative is Brighu’s relationship with his son, Jafar, who was born from an Indian–Pakistani love story. Through bedtime stories, Brighu passes on to his son a sense of a lost homeland – Karachi and Kolkata, its food, humour, and family traditions. In the process, the boundaries between reality and imagination begin to blur.

Sarnath Banerjee (born 1972 in West Bengal, India) is the author of several graphic novels, including Corridor, The Harappa Files, and Doab Dil. His installation Critical Imagination Deficit was presented at the 13th Berlin Biennale in 2025. His recent exhibitions include The Melancolony of a Heartburn City and The Spectral Times. Banerjee was a fellow of the Academy in the Literature discipline during 2006/2007.