Buddhadeb Bosu
Encyclopedia
Buddhadeva Bose (1908–1974) was a major Bengali
writer of the 20th century. Frequently referred to as a poet, he was a versatile writer who wrote novels, short stories, plays and essays in addition to poetry. He was an influential critic and editor of his time. He is recognized as one of the five poets who moved to introduce modernity into Bengali poetry
. It has been said that since Tagore
, perhaps, there has been no greater talent in Bengali literature.
, Bengal
, now in Bangladesh
on 30 November 1908. His ancestral home was in the village of Malkhanagar in the Vikrampur region (in Munshiganj District
, Bangladesh
). His father's name was Bhudeb Chandra Bose and mother's name was Benoy Kumari. His mother died just few hours after his birth and his father for a year became a bereaved wanderer. He remarried few years later and settled down. So, Buddhadeva was brought up and raised by his maternal grandparents Chintaharan Sinha and Swarnalata Sinha. Literally they remained his soul parents. He was schooled at the Dhaka Collegiate School
in Dhaka
, in addition to high schools in Comilla and Noakhali. He passed the Matriculation examination
in 1925. He secured the second place in the Intermediate examination. His early life was associated with Dhaka
where he lived in a simple house at 47 Purana Paltan.
BB went to the University of Dhaka
for studying English language and literature. He was a resident of the Jagannath Hall. After completing his MA in English from the University of Dhaka
with distinction marks that remains unsurpassed as yet (2007), he moved to Calcutta
in 1931. Initially he had no regular job and resorted to 'private tuition' for livelihood.
While a student he became associated with the famous poetry magazine Kallol. The modernist literary movement of 1930s is often referred to as the Kallol era. He was also worked as an editor of the literary magazine Progoti (started 1926).
He married Pratibha Basu (1914/1915 - October 4, 2006) (née Shome) in 1934. They had three children, Meenakshi Dutta (b. 1936), Damayanti Basu Singh (b. 1940) and Suddhashil Bose (1945–1987). Pratibha Bosu was an accomplished singer in her teens but later concentrated on literature and became a distinguished writer in her own right.
Buddhadeva Bose taught at the Ripon College (now Surendranath College
) an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta
and later worked as a journalist in the capacity of an editor for The Statesman
. In 1956 he set up the Department of Comparative literature
in the Jadavpur University
, and was on its faculty for a number of years. He was also a visiting professor at many universities in the United States.
One of his most important contributions to the Bengali
literary scene was the establishment of the Kavita (tr. Poetry) - the flagship poetry magazine in Bengali
, which he published and edited for 25 years.
BB has been described a disciplined, almost obsessed, worker by Nabaneeta Dev Sen
. After meeting Buddhadeva Bose, Clinton B. Seely
remarked that Buddhadeva was a very intense person. He spoke quickly, with emotion. He laughed wonderfully. He was interested in everything... He was what I would come to refer to "jyanto," "alive," "vibrant," "energetic." Conversations were often at fever pitch. He was bubbling over with things to say.
BB who grew up almost as an orphan showed deep since of love and care for his children. In a letter to his daughter Damayanti Basu Singh who just flew to the USA for studies he wrote: “Rumi, since this morning, I am really worried. Have you kept your money and traveler’s cheques in a safe and handy place? I should’ve checked everything at the airport, but just didn’t remember to do so. Exchange the pounds I gave you in England. For your small expenditures spend the loose change that you have in dollars. With the money I gave you and the first installment of your scholarship, open an account in Bloomington. Don’t deposit the traveler's cheques in the account. You’ll need those for your trips across the country. And make sure you don’t lose the slip with the cheque numbers written on it. ...Baba.” Damayanti wrote that '... And I remember that Dad used to write late into the night. He used to place books beside the table lamp to block the light so that it wouldn’t disturb our sleep.'
. But both in terms of theme and style, he reflected marked influence of renowned Western poets of whom Baudelaire should be named foremost. He was also influenced by Ezra Pound
, William Butler Yeats
, Rilke and T. S. Eliot
. Allegedly, he believed in ‘arts for arts sake’. He was a perfectionist as a writer and emphasized on technical perfection of his works. Although he mostly wrote in free verse, his command on rhyme and rhythm was great. As an excellent editor of his historical magazine "Kavita" (Poetry), the first magazine in India devoted only to the cause of modern Bengali Poetry,he demonstrated his amazing ability to identify the best talents of the 20th century Bengal.
His prose style was also established on a diction developed by himself. His novels remain modern even by standards of the 21st century. He established a style of appreciative literary criticism that remains unparalleled. Also, his verse plays, written at the end phase of his life, created a poetic style all his own.
Raat bha're brishhti, 1967; M.C. Sarkar, Calcutta, 1st Ed. 1967; (7th Reprint 1990.)
While the literary circles of Bengal
did not hesitate to recognize him as a leading post-Tagore
literary personality, Buddhadeva Bose achieved mass popularity when his novel Raat bha're brishhti was banned by the government on charges of obscenity. It depicted a love triangle which explicitly allowed sex to play a critical role in human relationship. Eventually, the High Court absolved the novel of the charges of obscenity. Raat bha're brishhti has been translated by Clinton B. Seely. with the title Rain through the Night
BB actively participated in the Progressive Writers' Association in the late 1930s. He also joined the Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists' Association in the early 40s.
examination. The first issue was the June–July issue of 1927. Cost of publishing a literary magazine was estimated to be 100 rupees per month. So, BB organized a group of ten like-minded fellows who agreed to pay ten rupees a month for publishing the Pragoti. The Pragoti was published from Dhaka. At that time BB was residing at 47 Purana Paltan which became the office of the Pragoti. BB distinguished himself by his commitment to modernity as reflected in the post-first-World War
western
literature. At the same time he firmly asked his colleagues to refrain from following Rabindranath Tagore
and to cultivate their own creativity. He published a number of poems of poet Jibanananda Das
in the Pragoti. Also, he published a highly appreciative article on this promising poet to draw attention of the literary circle. The Pragoti was continued for about two years. The last issue was published in 1929.
was published from there in the month of October 1935. For the first two years, Kavita was co-edited by BB and Premendra Mitra
while poet Samar Sen
worked as an assistant editor. Kavita was a poetry magazine styled after the Poetry published by Harriet Monroe
from Chicago. While discussing Bengali poetry
, Edward Thomson
referred to the first issue of Kavita in the Times Literary Supplement of 1 February 1936. Kavita continued for twenty-five long years. Its last issue was brought out in March, 1961.
. Then he introduced a publishing house styled Granthakar Mandoli. However, books published later on by BB carried the name Kavita Bhavan as the publishing house. Books published from Kavita Bhavn included BB's Kankaboti, Padatik of Subhas Mukhopadhyay
, Koyekti Kobita of Samar Sen
and Avijnan Basanta by poet Amiya Chakravarty
. While Kavita Bhavan published many other books, most remarkable was the slim poetry books of the Ek poishay Ekti series. These were a 16 page poetry book, the price being 1 rupee (16 poisha). The series continued for three years from 1942 to 1944 and published as many as 18 poetry books. The first version of Banalata Sen of Jibanananda Das
belonged to this series, sponsored by BB.
translated by him into Bengali. It was titled Charles Baudelaire O Taar Kobita. In the introduction to the translations, BB made a notable analysis of modernism in Western literature.
translation of BB's Protham Partho, produced by Circle Theatre Company, has been described to be one of the best presentations on the Delhi
theatre.
, after Rabindranath Tagore
. Buddhdaeb became the central figure in a cluster of poets who came to embody Bengali modernism
in early 20th century. In emphasizing BB's importance, Ashok Mitra
commented, 'These days we buy tickets to hear a poet. There was a time 60–70 years ago when a poet was considered to be unemployed and mad. If Buddhadeva Bose had not come up with a poetry magazine, things would not have been the same. There would have been no Jibanananda Das
but for Buddhadeva Bose.'
Buddhadeva Bose received the Sahitya Akademi Award
in 1967 for his verse play Tapaswi O Tarangini, received the Rabindra Puraskar
in 1974 for Swagato Biday(poetry) and was honoured with a Padma Bhushan
in 1970.
: Kotha Sahitya, Sanga Nishangata Rabindranath, Prabandha Sonkolon, Mohavarater Kotha, An acre of green grass - a review of modern Bengali literature, Tagore - portrait of a poet.
's Meghdut, Charles Baudelaire
O Tar Kobita.
Bose also translated works by Friedrich Hölderlin
, and Rilke into Bengali.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
writer of the 20th century. Frequently referred to as a poet, he was a versatile writer who wrote novels, short stories, plays and essays in addition to poetry. He was an influential critic and editor of his time. He is recognized as one of the five poets who moved to introduce modernity into Bengali poetry
Bengali poetry
Bengali poetry is a form that originated in Pāli and other Prakrit socio-cultural traditions. It is antagonistic towards Vedic rituals and laws as opposed to the shramanic traditions such as Buddhism and Jainism...
. It has been said that since Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, perhaps, there has been no greater talent in Bengali literature.
Biography
Buddhadeva Bose (BB) was born in ComillaComilla District
The district of Comilla consists 4543 mosques, 379 temples, 98 churches, 34 Buddhist temples and six tombs.-Places of interest:Important landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district...
, Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
on 30 November 1908. His ancestral home was in the village of Malkhanagar in the Vikrampur region (in Munshiganj District
Munshiganj District
Munshiganj also historically known as Bikrampur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District.-Geography:...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). His father's name was Bhudeb Chandra Bose and mother's name was Benoy Kumari. His mother died just few hours after his birth and his father for a year became a bereaved wanderer. He remarried few years later and settled down. So, Buddhadeva was brought up and raised by his maternal grandparents Chintaharan Sinha and Swarnalata Sinha. Literally they remained his soul parents. He was schooled at the Dhaka Collegiate School
Dhaka Collegiate School
Dhaka Collegiate School is a secondary school in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest school in Dhaka and one of the oldest and prestigious institutions in the country for more than a century.-History:...
in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, in addition to high schools in Comilla and Noakhali. He passed the Matriculation examination
Madhyamik
Madhyamik is a centralised examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education at the end of 10th standard of school. It is the most popular 10th standard examination in India. More than 7,50,000 students took the exam in 2006 and the number increases substantially every year....
in 1925. He secured the second place in the Intermediate examination. His early life was associated with Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
where he lived in a simple house at 47 Purana Paltan.
BB went to the University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
for studying English language and literature. He was a resident of the Jagannath Hall. After completing his MA in English from the University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
with distinction marks that remains unsurpassed as yet (2007), he moved to Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
in 1931. Initially he had no regular job and resorted to 'private tuition' for livelihood.
While a student he became associated with the famous poetry magazine Kallol. The modernist literary movement of 1930s is often referred to as the Kallol era. He was also worked as an editor of the literary magazine Progoti (started 1926).
He married Pratibha Basu (1914/1915 - October 4, 2006) (née Shome) in 1934. They had three children, Meenakshi Dutta (b. 1936), Damayanti Basu Singh (b. 1940) and Suddhashil Bose (1945–1987). Pratibha Bosu was an accomplished singer in her teens but later concentrated on literature and became a distinguished writer in her own right.
Buddhadeva Bose taught at the Ripon College (now Surendranath College
Surendranath College
Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader Surendranath Banerjea....
) an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
and later worked as a journalist in the capacity of an editor for The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
. In 1956 he set up the Department of Comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
in the Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
, and was on its faculty for a number of years. He was also a visiting professor at many universities in the United States.
One of his most important contributions to the Bengali
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
literary scene was the establishment of the Kavita (tr. Poetry) - the flagship poetry magazine in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, which he published and edited for 25 years.
BB has been described a disciplined, almost obsessed, worker by Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Nabaneeta Dev Sen is an award-winning Indian poet, novelist and academic.- Personal life :Dev Sen was born in Kolkata, to the poet-couple Narendra Dev and Radharani Devi. In addition to Bengali and English, she reads Hindi, Oriya, Assamese, French, German, Sanskrit, and Hebrew.In the very next...
. After meeting Buddhadeva Bose, Clinton B. Seely
Clinton B. Seely
Clinton B. Seely ,Clinton B. Seely ,Clinton B. Seely ,(born 21 June 1941 is an American academic and translator, and a scholar of Bengali language and literature. He has translated the works of Ramprasad Sen and Michael Madhusudan Dutt and written a biography of Bengali poet Jibanananda Das. He has...
remarked that Buddhadeva was a very intense person. He spoke quickly, with emotion. He laughed wonderfully. He was interested in everything... He was what I would come to refer to "jyanto," "alive," "vibrant," "energetic." Conversations were often at fever pitch. He was bubbling over with things to say.
BB who grew up almost as an orphan showed deep since of love and care for his children. In a letter to his daughter Damayanti Basu Singh who just flew to the USA for studies he wrote: “Rumi, since this morning, I am really worried. Have you kept your money and traveler’s cheques in a safe and handy place? I should’ve checked everything at the airport, but just didn’t remember to do so. Exchange the pounds I gave you in England. For your small expenditures spend the loose change that you have in dollars. With the money I gave you and the first installment of your scholarship, open an account in Bloomington. Don’t deposit the traveler's cheques in the account. You’ll need those for your trips across the country. And make sure you don’t lose the slip with the cheque numbers written on it. ...Baba.” Damayanti wrote that '... And I remember that Dad used to write late into the night. He used to place books beside the table lamp to block the light so that it wouldn’t disturb our sleep.'
Literary life
His first book of poetry, namely, "Bandir Bandona" was published when he was only seventeen years old. Although he worked as a teacher at different colleges and universities, he devoted his whole life to literature. This is symbolized by the name of his residence in Calcutta which was Kaviata Bhavan (tr. 'The House of Poetry'). His first novel, "SaDa", was published when he was 18, in 1930. He wrote more than 40 novels, but his epic novel "Tithidore", published in 1949, became his most admired novel which is now considered a classic. He published more than 160 titles during his lifetime. So far 200 books have been published. However, many pieces remain to be anthologized as yet. He was a hard worker and writing was his life. He began his day at 9 in the morning and would regularly work until 10 at night. Work, for him, meant writing.Literary style
Without undermining his genius, it can be said that Buddhadeva Bose wrote poetry essentially under the influence of Western literature. But, in his early works he showed clear influence of Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. But both in terms of theme and style, he reflected marked influence of renowned Western poets of whom Baudelaire should be named foremost. He was also influenced by Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
, William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, Rilke and T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
. Allegedly, he believed in ‘arts for arts sake’. He was a perfectionist as a writer and emphasized on technical perfection of his works. Although he mostly wrote in free verse, his command on rhyme and rhythm was great. As an excellent editor of his historical magazine "Kavita" (Poetry), the first magazine in India devoted only to the cause of modern Bengali Poetry,he demonstrated his amazing ability to identify the best talents of the 20th century Bengal.
His prose style was also established on a diction developed by himself. His novels remain modern even by standards of the 21st century. He established a style of appreciative literary criticism that remains unparalleled. Also, his verse plays, written at the end phase of his life, created a poetic style all his own.
Accusation of obscenity
While the literary circles of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
did not hesitate to recognize him as a leading post-Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
literary personality, Buddhadeva Bose achieved mass popularity when his novel Raat bha're brishhti was banned by the government on charges of obscenity. It depicted a love triangle which explicitly allowed sex to play a critical role in human relationship. Eventually, the High Court absolved the novel of the charges of obscenity. Raat bha're brishhti has been translated by Clinton B. Seely. with the title Rain through the Night
Literary organizations
In his school days BB took various literary initiatives. He was the editor, principal contributor and scriptor of the Pataka, a hand-written literary magazine published by the school students. Since then he was continuously engaged and involved in many literary organizations including publications of literary journals and books. While studying at the Dhaka University he was elected as the literary secretary of the students' association of his hall of residence, namely the Jagannath Hall. In this capacity he edited the Bashontika, the annual literary magazine of the Jagannath Hall. BB published one of his memorable poems, namely, 'Kankaboti' in the Bashontika.BB actively participated in the Progressive Writers' Association in the late 1930s. He also joined the Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists' Association in the early 40s.
Pragati
The Pragoti was first published as an occasional hand-written literary journal. The print-version was launched as a literary monthly in 1929 when BB received a monthly scholarship of 20 rupees for distinctive result in the pre-universityIntermediate
Intermediate means "occurring between two extremes, or in the middle of a range". It comes from the Latin word 'intermedia' which literally means 'among the middle' and may refer to:...
examination. The first issue was the June–July issue of 1927. Cost of publishing a literary magazine was estimated to be 100 rupees per month. So, BB organized a group of ten like-minded fellows who agreed to pay ten rupees a month for publishing the Pragoti. The Pragoti was published from Dhaka. At that time BB was residing at 47 Purana Paltan which became the office of the Pragoti. BB distinguished himself by his commitment to modernity as reflected in the post-first-World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
literature. At the same time he firmly asked his colleagues to refrain from following Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
and to cultivate their own creativity. He published a number of poems of poet Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das was a noted Bengali poet. He is considered one of the precursors who introduced modernist poetry to Bengali Literature, at a period when it was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's Romantic poetry....
in the Pragoti. Also, he published a highly appreciative article on this promising poet to draw attention of the literary circle. The Pragoti was continued for about two years. The last issue was published in 1929.
Kavita
Four years after migrating from Dhaka to Calcutta in 1931, BB again embarked upon publishing a literary magazine. He was then living in 'Golam Mohammad Mansion' in Calcutta city. The first issue of the KavitaKavita
*Kavita Rodgers, came in first place in Thomas Kinderwater's Poker Tournament Oct. 21 in Denver, CO and beat out her boyfriend.*Kavita Kaushik, Indian actress*Kavita Subramaniam, Indian playback singer*Kavita Lankesh, movie maker and director in Kannada language...
was published from there in the month of October 1935. For the first two years, Kavita was co-edited by BB and Premendra Mitra
Premendra Mitra
Premendra Mitra was a renowned Bengali poet, novelist, short story writer and film director. He was also an author of Bangla science fiction and thrillers.-Life:...
while poet Samar Sen
Samar Sen
Samar Sen was a Bengali poet and journalist. He hailed from an illustrious family, many of whose scions have enriched the intellectual world of Bengal. His grandfather, Dinesh Chandra Sen, was a well-known writer and a doyen of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad...
worked as an assistant editor. Kavita was a poetry magazine styled after the Poetry published by Harriet Monroe
Harriet Monroe
Harriet Monroe was an American editor, scholar, literary critic, poet and patron of the arts. She is best known as the founding publisher and long-time editor of Poetry Magazine, which made its debut in 1912. As a supporter of the poets Ezra Pound, H. D., T. S...
from Chicago. While discussing Bengali poetry
Bengali poetry
Bengali poetry is a form that originated in Pāli and other Prakrit socio-cultural traditions. It is antagonistic towards Vedic rituals and laws as opposed to the shramanic traditions such as Buddhism and Jainism...
, Edward Thomson
Edward Thomson
Edward Thomson was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church , elected in 1864.-Early life:Thomson was born in Portsea, part of Portsmouth, England...
referred to the first issue of Kavita in the Times Literary Supplement of 1 February 1936. Kavita continued for twenty-five long years. Its last issue was brought out in March, 1961.
Kavita Bhavan
Literally Kavita Bhavan (tr. 'The House of Poetry') is the name of the house at 202 Rasbihari Avenue where BB lived for a long time since 1937 (till 1966). 'Kavita Bhavan' which soon became a coveted hang-out for literary personalities including poets, novelists, magazine editors, publishers, intellectuals and professors, eventually emerged as a publishing house. After settling in Calcutta in 1931 BB realized that hardly there was any publishing house that was eager to publish a book of poetry. He himself published two poetry books, one of his own and the other of Achintyakumar SenguptaAchintyakumar Sengupta
Achintya Kumar Sengupta ), was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Noakhali, now in Bangladesh.-Life:At the age of 13, after his father's death, Sengupta moved to Calcutta, where he completed his schooling....
. Then he introduced a publishing house styled Granthakar Mandoli. However, books published later on by BB carried the name Kavita Bhavan as the publishing house. Books published from Kavita Bhavn included BB's Kankaboti, Padatik of Subhas Mukhopadhyay
Subhas Mukhopadhyay (poet)
Subhash Mukhopadhyay Subhash Mukhopadhyay Subhash Mukhopadhyay (Bangla: সুভাষ মুখোপাধ্যায় (February 12, 1919 - July 8, 2003) was one of the foremost Bengali poets of the 20th century.-Early life:Mukhopadhyay was born in Krishnanagar, a town in Nadia district in the province of West Bengal...
, Koyekti Kobita of Samar Sen
Samar Sen
Samar Sen was a Bengali poet and journalist. He hailed from an illustrious family, many of whose scions have enriched the intellectual world of Bengal. His grandfather, Dinesh Chandra Sen, was a well-known writer and a doyen of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad...
and Avijnan Basanta by poet Amiya Chakravarty
Amiya Chakravarty
Amiya Chandra Chakravarty was a literary critic, academic, and Bengali Poet. He was a close associate of Rabindrath Tagore, and edited several books of his poetry. He was also an associate of Gandhi, and an expert on the American catholic writer and monk, Thomas Merton. Dr. Chakravarty was...
. While Kavita Bhavan published many other books, most remarkable was the slim poetry books of the Ek poishay Ekti series. These were a 16 page poetry book, the price being 1 rupee (16 poisha). The series continued for three years from 1942 to 1944 and published as many as 18 poetry books. The first version of Banalata Sen of Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das was a noted Bengali poet. He is considered one of the precursors who introduced modernist poetry to Bengali Literature, at a period when it was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's Romantic poetry....
belonged to this series, sponsored by BB.
Translation of Baudelaire
In 1961, BB published a carefully selected poems of French poet Charles BaudelaireCharles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
translated by him into Bengali. It was titled Charles Baudelaire O Taar Kobita. In the introduction to the translations, BB made a notable analysis of modernism in Western literature.
Bengali Gastronomy
It may sound bizarre that a scholar like BB could write a book on Bengaly gastronomy. In fact it was a long essay that BB wrote in the Ananda Bazar Patrika, serialised in 1971 (1–4 January) under the title Bhojon Rashik Bangali. It is her daughter Damayanti Basu Singhwho in 2005 published the essay in the form a small book and herself provided recipes of the dishes referred to by BB. Damayanti said, 'My father, Buddhadeva Bose, was a small man and a frugal eater. He was never greedy for food, but used to be upset if there wasn’t a generous spread on the dining table.' Quoting Goethe, BB would say, 'my eyes are larger than my appetite'. So there was always both variety and excess of food even for the daily meals. The essay was translated by BB himself into English and was published in The Hindustan Standard, published from Calcutta.Playwright
In his early days in the school in Noakhali, BB with his fellow mates had formed a 'drama group'. No wonder that he took special interest in writing plays. He wrote more than five plays. However, recognition as a playwright came late, after the death of the playwright in 1974. It is Salil Bhandopadhyaya of Thatron Theatre Group, Calcutta, who produced some of BB's plays like Tapeswi-O-Tarangini, Kolkatara Electra and Anamni Angana and drew attention of people to BB as a playwright. The HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
translation of BB's Protham Partho, produced by Circle Theatre Company, has been described to be one of the best presentations on the Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
theatre.
Recognition
Apart from formal recognition mentioned below, BB remains the most important literary personality of the 20th century Bengali literatureBengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
, after Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. Buddhdaeb became the central figure in a cluster of poets who came to embody Bengali modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
in early 20th century. In emphasizing BB's importance, Ashok Mitra
Ashok Mitra
-Early life and Education:After completing his graduation from the University of Dacca, he came to India following the partition of India in 1947. Although he attended postgraduate classes in economics at the University of Calcutta, he was refused admission there. He moved to Banaras Hindu...
commented, 'These days we buy tickets to hear a poet. There was a time 60–70 years ago when a poet was considered to be unemployed and mad. If Buddhadeva Bose had not come up with a poetry magazine, things would not have been the same. There would have been no Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das was a noted Bengali poet. He is considered one of the precursors who introduced modernist poetry to Bengali Literature, at a period when it was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's Romantic poetry....
but for Buddhadeva Bose.'
Buddhadeva Bose received the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in 1967 for his verse play Tapaswi O Tarangini, received the Rabindra Puraskar
Rabindra Puraskar
The Rabindra Puraskar or the Rabindra Smriti Puraskar is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is administered by the Government of West Bengal under the aegis of the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy , Kolkata.The award is given for creative...
in 1974 for Swagato Biday(poetry) and was honoured with a Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
in 1970.
Works
So far about 200 titles have been published, including 'collected works' in several volumes. Some of them are mentioned below.Poetry
Mormorani [1924], Bondir Bondona [1930], Prithibir Pothe [1933], Konkaboti [1937], Notun Pata [1940], Domoyonti [1943], Droupodir Sari [1948], Sreshto Kobita [1953], Sheter Prarthona: Bosonter Uttor [1955], Je Adhar Alor Odhik [1958], Morche Pora Pereker Gan [1966], Bloomington, Indiana [?]Novel
Shara [1930], Akormonnya [1931], Momo Deya Neya [1932], Jobonika Poton [1932], Rhododrendron Guchho [1932], Sanonda [1933], Amar Bondhu [1933], Jedin Futlo Komal [1933], He Bijoyi Bir [1933], Dhusor Godhuli [1933], Lalmegh [1934], Bashor Ghar [1935], Kalo Haoa [1942], Tithi Dore [1949], Nirjon Swakhor [1951], Moner Moto Meye [1951], Moulinath [1952], Sonpangshu [1959], Shesh Pandulipi [1956], Ratvor Brishti [1967], Golap Keno Kalo [1967].Short story collections
Ovinoy, Ovinoy Noy, Rekhachitro, Era Ar Ora, Abong Aro Oneke, Odrisho Satru, Misses Gupta, Premer Bichitra Goti, Ghorete Bhromro Elo, Notun Nesha, Feriwala O Onnano Golpo, Khatar Shhesh Pata, Ekti Sokal O Ekti Shyandhya, Golpo Songkolon, Shreshtho Golpo, Hridoyer Joyogan, Vashao Amar Vela.Play
Mayamalancha, Taposhi O Torongini, Kalshandhya(from Mahabharat), Punormilon, Kolkatar ElectraEssay
Hothat Alor Jhalkani, Uttor Tirish, Kaler Putul, Sahityacharcha, RabindranathRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
: Kotha Sahitya, Sanga Nishangata Rabindranath, Prabandha Sonkolon, Mohavarater Kotha, An acre of green grass - a review of modern Bengali literature, Tagore - portrait of a poet.
Works of translation
KalidasaKalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
's Meghdut, Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
O Tar Kobita.
Bose also translated works by Friedrich Hölderlin
Friedrich Hölderlin
Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin was a major German lyric poet, commonly associated with the artistic movement known as Romanticism. Hölderlin was also an important thinker in the development of German Idealism, particularly his early association with and philosophical influence on his...
, and Rilke into Bengali.
Works in translation
- My Kind of Girl 2008 translation by Arunava Sinha, published 2010 by Archipelago BooksArchipelago BooksArchipelago Books is an American not-for-profit literary publisher dedicated to promoting cross-cultural exchange through international literature in translation. Located Brooklyn, New York, it publishes small to mid-size runs of international fiction, poetry, and literary essays...
. Originally Moner Moto Meye, published 1951 by Deb Sahitya Kutir publishing firm.
- The Selected Poems of Buddhadeva Bose, Translated and Introduced by Ketaki Kushari Dyson. New Delhi, OUP, 2003; ISBN 9780195663358
- 'Comparative Literature in India' by Buddhadeva Bose, Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature, Vol. 8 (1959), 1-10.
- Hard Times by Rabindranath Tagore, translated by Buddhadeva Bose
- Three Mahabharata Verse Plays, Works of Buddhadeva Bose Translated by Introduced by Kanak Kanti De, Published by WRITERS WORKSHOP, CALCUTTA, 1992. Copy Available in University of Chicago Library,Library of Congress, Oxford Bodelain Library, Harvard Library etc. ISBN 9788171892860
- An Acre of Green Grass ISBN 9788171750399
Further reading
- The Ditiyo Chinta, Buddhadeva Bose birth centenary issue, Ed. Iffat AraIffat AraShamsun Nahar Iffat Ara , known as Iffat Ara, is a woman writer, social activist and literary organizer of Bangladesh. Her literary career began in late 1950s when she started to write short stories and publish them in the leading newspaper of the country including the Azad...
, February 2008, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.