Durgeshnandini book


Durgeshnandini

Paper Type: Book print paper | Size: 216 mm x 140 mm
Black and white; 168 pages; Paperback
ISBN-10: 8193393538 | ISBN-13: 9788193393536

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Published in 1865, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s first Bengali novel Durgeshnandini revolutionised Bengali prose writing. Many consider it to be the first modern novel in an Indian language. Durgeshnandini is set in the sixteenth century during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, when the Mughal army was fighting the Pathans for control over territories in eastern India. Many characters in the book—Mughals, Rajputs and Pathans—are historical figures. With this as the backdrop, the author skilfully sets up a romance between a young Rajput commander of the Mughal army and the daughter of a minor ruler. The romance becomes layered when a charming Pathan princess also falls in love with the Rajput commander in defiance of her suitor, the Pathan army chief. Prevailing social norms barred love across caste and religion. Bankim Chandra seems to question this in this novel in an indirect way. The novel ran into thirteen editions during Bankim Chandra’s lifetime and was translated into several languages.




Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Author

Bankimchandra Chatterjee or Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay,(1838–1894), an Indian novelist, poet and journalist, was the composer of Vande Mataram. He wrote thirteen novels and many serious, serio-comic, satirical, scientific and critical treatises in Bengali. He is widely regarded as a key figure in literary renaissance of Bengal as well as the broader Indian subcontinent. Some of his writings including novels, essays, and commentaries, were a breakaway from traditional verse-oriented Indian writings, and provided an inspiration for authors across India.

Sunanda Krishnamurty
Sunanda Krishnamurty
Translator

Sunanda Krishnamurty was a college lecturer in economics in India, and a consultant with U.N. organisations in Bangkok and Geneva.  As a literary translator, Sunanda has earned a name by translating the stories and novels of Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which were published under reputed banners. She is an active member of the Geneva Writers Group and has published several short stories in its literary publication,