Bangla Sahitye Gadya by Sukumar Sen [Hardcover]

"This insightful book by Sukumar Sen, a linguist and one of the main architects of the history of Bengali literature, is not merely a description of the history of prose literature. It spans a long journey from the very beginning of Bengali prose to the Rabindra era and the modern period. Along with history, it explores the inner world of formal and colloquial Bengali prose. The author discovered traces of Bengali prose in the poetry written in Poyar meter in the 16th century. Although letters, documents, and other necessities did not yet bring Bengali prose into the literary arena at that time, Bengali prose, under the plans of Portuguese missionaries in the 17th century and English missionaries at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, broke out of its poetic shell and became a language of thought and reason.

Pandit Mrityunjay Vidyalankar of Fort William College enhanced the elegance of Bengali prose during this period. The author, with numerous examples from written works, shows how Bengali prose first gained nobility in the hands of Rammohan. He explains why Vidyasagar is the creator of the beauty and artistic spirit of Bengali prose literature, and how Parichand and Hutum were revolutionary pioneers of colloquial prose. By presenting linguistics and facts, the author analyzes how Bengali prose firmly established its seat in the 'festival of creation' with the help of Bankimchandra.

Above all, the book offers reliable discussions on the prose writings of Rabindranath and many other major and minor contemporary creators. Bengali prose has proven its strength and merit in intellectual pursuits and artistic creation today. This book retains the immense history and the chronicle of the three-century-long journey. After being out of print for a long time, the expanded and well-edited 'Ananda' edition of 'Bangala Gadya Sahitya' fulfills the long-standing needs and expectations of literary readers."