Antapurer Atmakatha by Chitra Deb [Hardcover]

Having already gained fame for her work 'Thakurbarir Andarmahal,' Chitra Deb now delves deeper into the inner life of Bengali women with a more extensive investigation. This book brings together fragments of women's lives from various autobiographies, memoirs, and diaries written by about sixty Bengali women born between 1809 and 1900, from the first female autobiographer of Bengal, Rassundari Devi, to the persecuted bride, Amiya Bala Devi. Through these writings, she presents a comprehensive and intimate account of the mental evolution of Bengali women. The importance of this account in the history of Bengali women's awakening cannot be overstated.

In the light of their own realizations, these Bengali women meticulously observed their contemporary society and their place within it while living ordinary lives. 'Antahpurer Atmakatha' thus serves as a continuous narrative of Bengali women's awakening and a confession of how they arrived at a firm conviction, transcending doubts and uncertainties.