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Rabindranath Tagore’s 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature helped renew interest in modern Indian literature and, in particular, Bengali literature. However, by the mid-nineteenth century Bengali literature had already come into its own, distinguishing itself in the genres of poetry, short story, novel, and essays of intellection and reminiscence. It grew diversely and through varied channels in the twentieth century, a period of social change and upheaval.
The Oxford India Anthology of Bengali Literature celebrates the richness and diversity of the literature spread across 130 years. The two-volume anthology represents around 100 writers and includes nearly 250 selections from poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction. The chronological dividing line of 1941 between the two volumes represents not just the end of an era with Tagore’s death, but the beginning of a new period marked by traumatic changes in both Bengals, amply reflected in the literature.
Beginning with Michael Madhusudan Datta, and the constantly-evolving Rabindranath Tagore, this volume moves on to other celebrated poets like Sukumar Ray, Jibanananda Das, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Jasim Uddin, Bishnu Dey, Buddhadeva Bose, Sudhindranath Datta, and Samar Sen. Similarly, the short fiction and non-fiction sections are characterized by chronological and varied selections, many of them translated especially for this volume. Extraordinary in literary merit, the 100 odd selections stand out as important social documents affording rare glimpses of the age, the social ethos, and the writers’ perspectives.
Carefully selected and introduced, the chronological listing of works by authors helps readers get a sense of the evolution of various literary genres and sub-genres across one and a half centuries of literary creation. Placing the writings in their historical context, the Introduction affords a broad conceptual understanding of the socio-political and cultural mores of the times. | 
