Anirban Ray

Assistant Professor and Head of the Department

PhD English (Jadavpur University, 2022)

M.Phil English (Jadavpur University, 2011)

MA English (Jadavpur University, 2009)

BA English Hons. (Jadavpur University, 2007)

My PhD thesis is titled, “Between Egyptology and Egyptomania: Ancient Egypt in Selected Western Novels and Films, 1990 to 2020." The thesis focuses on specially those texts and movies in which the influences of "Egyptomania" are perceived. I have explored the western (both Eurocentric and American) imaginations of ancient Egypt through empirical Egyptological studies as well as the popular imaginations appropriating the funerary myths and arts of ancient Egypt.

At Presidency University I have taught Plato's criticism of art (in Book Ten of The Republic), Coleridge's Visionary Poems and his theories of poetry and imagination, William Congreve's The Way of the World, Beowulf, selected poems by W. B. Yeats and Wilfred Owen, Ashapurna Devi's The First Promise (English translation), Ben Jonson's Volpone, visual narrative of the Sistine Chapel, Pre-Raphaelite paintings, etc. I am interested to teach science fiction, and connections between literature and painting.

Books:

1. Ray, Anirban (2025). The Ancient Egyptian Deities and The Rulers: Mutual Connection, Love & Communication. Kolkata: Khosra Khata.

2. Ray, Anirban (2025). Duality, Balance and Symmetry in Ancient Egyptian Temple Reliefs. Kolkata: Khosra Khata.

Magazines:

1. Ray, Anirban. (2011), “A Pictorial Tribute to Rabindranath Tagore, Inspired by His Nature Songs”, Chitrolekha International Magazine on Art and Design, 1 (3), 41–47, http://www.chitrolekha.com/V1/n3/09_Tibute_to_Tagore.pdf (It was then a magazine, during the publication of this "portfolio" of five paintings)

2. Ray, Anirban. (2018). "Satyajit Ray’s 'The Sahara Mystery': a Case Study of Human-Monster-God Transition", Spring Magazine on English Literature, 4 (1), http://www.springmagazine.net/v4n105/

Journals:

1. Ray, Anirban, & Talukder, Sandipan. (Jan-Feb 2015). "New Trends in Puja Mandaps," Muse India,  59, http://www.museindia.com/Home/AuthorContentDataView (Sandipan Talukder is credited as the photographer of the images)

2. Ray, Anirban. (2016). "Teaching English Literary Texts with Approaches to Visual Arts: Three Case Studies", Literaria Linguistica: A Journal of Research in Literature, Linguistics and Language Teaching, 2, 20-33. 

3. Ray, Anirban. (2018). “Japan-India Bonding in the Bengali Short Science Fiction/FantasyStories by Satyajit Ray”, Bangabidya: International Journal of Bengal Studies, 10,  223-242, Special Issue of Papers Presented in the 4th International Congress of Bengal Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, Japan, edited by Pabitra Sarkar and Shinkichi Taniguchi.

4. Ray, Anirban. (2018). "Gendered Bengali: Expectations and Challenges, in Ashapurna Devi’s ‘Chhayasurya’ and Partha Pratim Chowdhury’s Chhaya Surya [Chhayasurya], and Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s Dadar Kirti and Tarun Majumdar’s Dadar Kirti", SOCIAL TRENDS: Journal of the Department of Sociology of North Bengal University, 5 (31), 91–113

5. Ray, Anirban. (2018–2019). "Visuals and Narration in The Prince of Egypt (1998)",  Jadavpur Journal of Comparative Literature, 55, 115–140

6. Ray, Anirban. (2019). “Cleopatra VII Philopator’s Final Moments: Depictions in Five Paintings”, Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, 42 (2), 126–137.

7. Ray, Anirban. (2021). “'Kubla Khan: or, A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment': An Egyptological Study”, Teresian Journal of English Studies, 13 (3), 22–38.

8. Ray, Anirban. (2022). “Humans and Robots in Satyajit Ray's ‘Professor Shonku and Robu’: Communication and Confrontation”, Daath Voyage: An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English, 7 (2), 42–50, http://www.daathvoyagejournal.com/current-issue.html.

9. Ray, Anirban. (2022). “Masculine ‘Sn?ha’ (?????) in Ajit Ganguly’s Hangsharaj (1976)”, Mizoram University Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 8 (2), 73–83, http://mzuhssjournal.in/images/resources/v8n2/ray.pdf.

10. Ray, Anirban. (2025). "Reflections of the Isis-Osiris Relationship on Cleopatra and Antony in William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra", The Criterion: An International Journal in English, 16 (4), 906–922, https://www.the-criterion.com/V16/n4/202504132.pdf.

11. Ray, Anirban. (2025/2026). "Apsara-figures/reliefs in Angkor Wat (Temple): Female Presence and Feminine Companionship in Art", Pranav Journal of Fine Arts, 6 (1), 16–25, https://pranavjournals.com/finearts/wp-content/uploads/3-Apsara-figure.pdf.

Chapter in Edited Book:

1. Ray, Anirban. (2020). "Between 'Transhumanism' and 'Posthumanism': The Mummy-'Transformers' of Seth Kearsley's Mummies Alive! (1997)" in Mishra, Parul, Rajarshi Mukherjee, and Shreya Chakrabarty (eds.), Diasater, Holocaust and Dystopian Literature: Concepts and Perspectives, Delhi: Upanayan Publications, pp. 224–233.

2. Ray, Anirban. (2020). "Bram Stoker's The Jewel of Seven Stars: Sexual, Creative and Aesthetic Aspects from Ancient Egyptian Mythology" in Mishra, Sunil K., and Rituparna Mukherjee (eds.), Theorizing Sexuality in English Literature, Delhi: Upanayan Publications, pp. 51–61.

3. Ray, Anirban. (2021). "COVID-19, Depression, and Indian Painters: Some Thoughts" in Chakrabarty, Shreya, T. Sathyakala, and Sunil K. Mishra (eds.), Reviving Humanity During Pandemic in India, Delhi: Upanayan Publications, pp. 196–203.

4. Ray, Anirban. (2021). "Ancient Egyptian 'Ished' Tree and Satyajit Ray's 'Swarnaparni' Plant: Assessments" in V. S., Chitra, and Balamurali R. S. (eds.), Rejuvenating Environmental Studies: A Multidisciplinary Approach, Delhi: Upanayan Publications, pp. 157–168.

5. Ray, Anirban. (2021). "Girish Karnad's Devadatta and Kapila: Men and Male Beauty" in Mishra, Parul (ed.), Gender Fluidity in Indian Writings in English, Delhi: Sentics Publications, pp. 54–67.

Proceedings:

1. Ray, Anirban. (2013), “Sri Ramakrishna’s Love for Visual Devotional Art”, in Roy, S. et al (eds), Sri Ramakrishna’s Ideas and Our Times, Belur Math, Howrah, pp. 361–368.

2. Ray, Anirban, & Patnaik, Priyadarshi. (2014), “Myths and Icons in Satyajit Ray’s Science Fantasy Stories ‘Professor Shonku and U. F. O.’ and ‘The Unicorn Expedition’”, in Supasetsiri, P. et al (eds), Proceedings: The Asian Conference on Arts and Cultures 2014, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand,  June 12–13, 2014, Bangkok, pp. 149-156.

3. Ray, Anirban. (2016). "The ‘Identities’ of ‘Egyptologist-Archaeologists’ in Fictional Imagination: Three Case Studies” published in Redefining Identities, Cultures and Literatures, Vol. 1 (Proceedings of “Redefining Identities, Cultures and Literatures” organized by English Literator Society at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Research Centre, Aurangabad, Maharashtra on 9th and 10th December 2016). This Proceeding is published as an edited volume.

4. Ray, Anirban. (2017). “Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture in Asterix and Cleopatra and Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra” in Prof. (Dr.) Pradeep Joshi. et al (eds.) Proceedings of National Conference on "Innovation in Visual Arts" (NCIVA '17), organized by Amity School of Fine Arts, Amity University, Noida on 23rd March 2017, pp. 3-11.

5. Ray, Anirban. (2019). “X-Men: Apocalypse (2016): Youth-centric Theoretical Discussions" in Safwat, Soheir, Dr. (ed.), International Conference on Youth in Changeable World. Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives: Ain Shams University, Cairo-Egypt:  1st - 3rd April 2019, Cairo: Ain Shams University (?), pp. 439–453.

6. Ray, Anirban. (2020). "Persian Influence and Indo-Persian Assimilation and Adaptation: Case Studies of Selected Mughal Miniatures" in Billah, Abu Musa Mohammad Arif, (ed.), Al-Biruni Millennium Demise Anniversary Commemoration Volume-1 (Volume One: Papers in English): Dhaka University, 20–21 January 2020: A Collection of Papers of the 5th Al-Biruni Interdisciplinary World Congress - A Millennium Demise Anniversary Commemoration by Abu Rayhan Biruni Foundation (ARBF), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dhaka: Abu Rayhan Biruni Foundation (ARBF), pp. 315–330. This Proceeding is published as an edited volume.