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Bengali novels occupy a major part of Bengali literature. Despite the evidence of Bengali literary traditions dating back to the 7th century, the format of novel or prose writing did not fully emerge until the early nineteenth century. The development of Bengali novel was fueled by colonial encounter, booming print culture, growth of urban centers, and increased middle-class readership[1] Upanyas, the Bangla word for novel, is derived from the words upanay and upanyasta.[2]
According to Ananda Sanker and Lila Ray, 'when the novel was introduced in Bengali in the middle of the 19th century, the form itself was new, the prose in which it was written was new, the secular tone was new in a country hitherto wholly dominated by religion, and the society in which and for which it was written was new' (p. 168). But some great novelists like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore, Manik Bandopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay developed the newly introduced genre in such a way that 'new' changed into 'matured' through their works. Almost all these literary activities went on in full swing in Kolkata, which was considered the cultural hub before the partition of Bengal. After 1947, novelists from East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) gained the platform to focus on their unique identities and Dhaka emerged as a flourishing hub for Bengali novelists. Despite the Bengali common heritage and customs, the political partition was accompanied by partition of literary streams between East and West Bengal.[3] In the twenty first century, popular contemporary Bengali novels include those written by novelists from both Bengals. Examples include prominent and prolific authors like Humayun Ahmed from Bangladesh and Sunil Gangopadhyay from India.
- ^ Chaudhuri, S. (2012). The Bengali novel. In V. Dalmia & R. Sadana (Eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Modern Indian Culture (Cambridge Companions to Culture, pp. 99–123). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CCOL9780521516259.008
- ^ "Novel – Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ "Bangla Literature – Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 29 July 2023.