Alphabetica is a novel written by debutant author Roy Phoenix. The press interaction at the Oxford Book Store Kolkata was graced by Aparna Sen, Professor Kunal Basu, and Sumanto Chattopadhyay.

The novel is a fascinating allegorical tale that explores the fault lines that lead to the tyranny of the majority. Roy has used the metaphor of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, where there is the Consonant Majority of twenty-one versus the Vowel Minority of five. He goes on to build a dystopian world where the Consonant Majority attacks the Vowel Minority, forcing them into exile. This then brings about the death of words, ironically making the Consonants redundant in their Planet, ‘Typewriter’.

Aparna Sen described the novel as “thought-provoking and enlightening. Alphabetica intelligently captures the scourge of majoritarianism, a belief system that defines what’s right and what isn’t, in every sphere of life.”

At the press meet, author Roy Phoenix said that like the letters of the alphabet cannot be selectively eliminated, citizens of this planet must also realize that everyone has a role to play. Majoritarianism is rampant not just based on the demographics of religion or race, but also when marginalizing the defenseless, such as the differently-abled. The author said that human beings need to be united by love.

The book is currently available on Amazon, Flipkart, Notion Press and exclusively at the Oxford Book Store, Kolkata.