It has been suggested that History of Bengali literature be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

The first evidence of Bangla literature is Charyapada or Charyageeti, buddhist hymns or dohas from the 8th century. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... This article is about the Bengali language. ... Charyapada is the oldest known Bengali written form. ...

Rabindranath Tagore

Iswarchandra Bandyopadhyaya (popularly known as "Vidyasagar" which means 'ocean of knowledge') was mainly known as a social reformer. But his contribution to the Bengali literature also plays a significant role. He laid the foundation of modern Bengali language. Rabindranath Tagore This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ...

Vidysagar realized the need of educating women in the society. With his tireless effort to uplift the status of women in the society, he was able to establish some Girl's schools in different places of Bengal. But there was no good Bengali text book for basic Bengali education. He wrote Bengali books with basic language construct and fundamentals, like, "Barnaparichay", "Bodhoday", "Kathamala" etc. and then easy grammar books like "Upakramonika" and "Byakaron Kaumudi". He also introduced some basic books for Mathematical logic. Rabindranath Tagore called him as the father of modern Bengali language. Vidyasagar translated some masterpieces of Sanskrit and English literature into Bengali: "betaal panchabingshati"(Sanskrit Kathasarit sagar, "shakuntala", "bhranti bilaas" , "sitaar banabaas" and edited books like "raghubangsha", "kumarsambhab" etc. রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর — Gurudev. ...

Possibly the most prolific writer in Bangla is Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore dominated both the Bengali and Indian philosophical and literary scene for decades. His 2,000 Rabindrasangeets play a pivotal part in defining Bengali culture, both in West Bengal and Bangladesh. He is the author of the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh, both composed in Bangla. Other notable Bangla works of his are Gitanjali, a book of poems for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and many short stories and a few novels. Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর — Gurudev. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is formally recognized by a countrys government as their official national song. ... Gitanjali is a collection of 103 English poems, largely translations, by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...

In a similar category is Kazi Nazrul Islam, a Muslim who was invited to post-partition Bangladesh as the National Poet and whose work transcends sectarian boundaries. Adored by Bengalis both in Bangladesh and West Bengal, his work includes 3,000 songs, known as nazrul geeti. He is frequently called the rebel poet because of his strong involvement in revolution leading to India's independence from British Rule. His songs and poems were frequently used during the Bangladesh Liberation War as well. Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bangla: কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম) (b. ... Many nations have adopted a poet who is perceived to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of their culture. ... The Bangladesh Liberation War (two other names are also used occasionally) refers to an armed conflict between West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that lasted for roughly nine months in 1971. ...

Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a Christian by conversion, is best known for his Ramayana-based masterpiece, "The Slaying of Meghnadh," (in Bengali "Meghnadh Bodh Kabbo" (মেঘনাদ বধ কাব্য)), which essentially follows in the poetic tradition of Milton's Paradise Lost. Those who have read it consider this work a world-class epic poem of the modern era. Michael Madhusudan Dutta is also credited with the introduction of sonnets to Bangla literature. Michael Madhusudan Dutt (Datta), (Bangla: মাইকেল মধুসূদন দত্ত) (1824-1873) is a famous 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist. ... The Rāmāyana (Sanskrit: रामायण, march or journey (Ä€yana) of Rāma) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ...

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was an author whose speciality was exploring complex human psychology. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was one of the earliest Bengali novelists and is popularly known as the author of India's first national song, "Bande Mātarom" (pronounced in Hindi "Vande Mātāram"). Tarashankar Bandopadhay was another famous novelist whose works feature a realistic picture of the many-colored fabric of life in rural Bengal. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, also known as Sarat Chandra Chatterjee (15 September 1876 - 16 January 1938) was a popular Bengali novelist of early 20th century India. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Vande Mataram (in Bangla: বন্দে মাতরম)is the national song of India. ...

Jibanananda Das was a famous poet who, along with Buddhadev Basu, marks the beginning of the move to transcend the Tagore legacy. The new genere of Bengali poets departed considerably from Tagore's ideological style and adoped realism in their writing more pronouncedly. Titled polli-kobi (Poet of the Village) for works relating to the villages and countryside of Bengal, Jasimuddin is particularly famous for his poems that have become major highlights for pedagogical purposes in both West Bengal and Bangladesh. Jibanananda Das (Bangla: জীবনানন্দ দাশ) (17 February 1899 - 22 October 1954) is an acclaimed Bengali poet. ... Jasim Uddin (1903_1976)was a renowned Bengali poet. ...

Seminal Hindu religious works in Bangla include the many songs of Ramprasad Sen. His works (still sung today) from the 17th century cover an astonishing range of emotional responses to the goddess Kali, detailing complex philosophical statements based on Vedanta teachings and more visceral prouncements of his love of the goddess. There are also the laudatory accounts of the lives and teachings of the Vaishnava saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (the Choitanyo Choritāmrit) and Devi Advaitist Shri Ramakrishna (the Ramakrishna Kathamrita, translated roughly as Gospel of Ramakrishna). There is also a large body of Islamic literature, that can be traced back atleast to Noornama by Abdul Hakim. Bishad Sindhu depicting the death of Hussain in Karbala is very popular novel written by Mir Mosharraf Hossain. Later works influenced by Islam include devotional songs written by Nazrul, and popularized by Abbas Uddin, among others. Ramprasad Sen (Bangla: রামপ্রসাদ সেন) (1720-1781) was a Bengali song-writer and singer of Hindu devotional songs, specially Shyamasangit (Songs devoted to the goddess Kali). ... A common scene depicting Kali standing over Shiva. ... Vedanta (Vedānta, वेदान्त, pronounced as ////) means the anta or culmination or essence of the Vedas. ... Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Vishnu or one of his avatars (i. ... Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also transliterated Caitanya, IAST ) (Bangla ) (1486 - 1534), was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal, India (present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh). ... Commonly known as Devi (goddess), Vaishnodevi (देवी, DevÄ« in Hindi and Sanskrit) is the Divine Mother of Hinduism. ... Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Bangla: রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস), born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (Bangla: গদাধর চট্টোপাধ্যায়) , (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was one of the most important Hindu religious leaders of India, and is deeply revered by many Hindus and non-Hindus to this date. ... Abdul Hakim was a poet in medieval Bengal. ... Karbalā (Arabic: ; also transliterated as Kerbala or Kerbela) is a city in Iraq, located about 100 km southwest of Baghdad at 32. ... Mir Mosharraf Hossain (Bangla: মীর মোশাররফ হোসেন) (1847-1912) novelist, playwright and essayist in 19th century Bengal. ... Abbas Uddin Ahmed (1901-1959), popularly known by his first name, was a famous Bangla folk singer. ...

The mystic Bauls of the Bengal countryside who preached the boundless spiritual truth of Sôhoj Pôth (the Simple, Natural Path) and Moner Mānush (The Man of The Heart) drew on Vedantic philosophy to propound transcendental truths in song format, traveling from village to village proclaiming that there was no such thing as Hindu, Muslim or Christian, only moner mānush. Bauls (Bangla: বাউল) are a group of mystic minstrels from the Bengal region, now divided into Bangladesh and West Bengal. ...

The literature discussed so far can be more or less regarded as the common heritage of both Bangladesh and West Bengal. Since the partition of Bengal in 1947, the east and west parts of Bengal have also developed their own distinctive literatures. For example, the Naxalite movement has influenced much of West Bengal's literature, whereas the Liberation War has had a similarly profound impact on Bangladeshi literature. West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... CPI(ML) poster in Kolkata Naxalite or Naxalism is an informal name given to revolutionary communist groups that were born out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. ... The Bangladesh Liberation War (two other names are also used occasionally) refers to an armed conflict between West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that lasted for roughly nine months in 1971. ...

Major literary figures in Bangladesh include Shamsur Rahman, Sufia Kamal, Hasan Azizul Huq, Akhtaruzzaman Ilias and Humayun Azad , to name a few. Some notable writers from West Bengal are Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shankha Ghosh, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Mahasweta Devi and Joy Goswami. Shamsur Rahman is one of the greatest living poets of Bangladesh, with more than sixty books of poetry to his credit. ... Sufia Kamal (1911-1999) was a poet, writer, organizer, feminist and activist from Bangladesh. ... Hasan Azizul Huq is a Bangladeshi writer, notable for his short stories. ... Akhtaruzzaman Elias (Bangla: আখতারুজ্জামান ইলিয়াস) was a notable Bangladeshi author. ... Humayun Azad (Bangla: হুমায়ুন আজাদ) (Rari Khal, Bangladesh, 28 April 1947 - Munich, Germany, 11 August 2004) was a prolific Bangladeshi author and scholar. ... Sunil Gangopadhyay was born on September 7, 1934 at Faridpur in what is now Bangladesh. ... Shankha Ghosh (Bangla: শঙ্খ ঘোষ) (1932-) is an Bengali Indian poet and critic. ... Shakti Chattopadhay(1933 - 1995) was a Bengali poet. ... Mahasweta Devi (born 1926 in Dacca now known as Bangladesh) is an Indian writer. ... Joy Goswami(1955-) is an Indian poet. ...

See also

• History of Bengali literature