BLiterature-Apratim

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Modernism, the general trend of the age, is the combined name of several artmovements
including symbolism, impressionism, expressionism, futurism, cubism,
surrealism, existentialism etc. Those movements actually started their journey in the
West speeding up after the First World War. The political philosopher Karl Marx
(1818-’83) and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) influenced most of the
intellectuals since that time. Marx spoke for establishing a classless society through
the abolition of private property. And Freud dealt with man’s unconscious behaviors
in his psychoanalytical writings. Bearing their influence, the Modernist writers opened
a new artistic and philosophical world expressing the crises of modern man.
Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) is the true icon of the age and greatest
Modernist poet. Called the ‘Nilkantha of endangered humanity’, he invented a new
diction of Bangla poetry and achieved the glory of the greatest poet after Tagore.
The age itself was initiated in the year 1936 with his book of poems titled Dhushar
Pandulipi. Beside this work, his Banalata Sen (1942), Mahaprithibi (1944), Sathti
Tarar Timir (1948), Rupashi Bangla (1957), Bela Abela Kalbela (1961) are valuable
contributions to modern poetry.
Amiya Chakraborty (1901-’86), Sudhindranath Datta (1901-’60), Manish
Ghatak (1902-’79), Ajit Datta (1907-’79), Buddhadev Basu (1908-’74), Bishnu Dey
(1909-’82), Arun Mitra (1909-2000), Bimalchandra Ghosh (1910-’82), Dinesh Das
(1913-’85), Samar Sen (1916-’87), Ahsan Habib (1917-’85), Subhash
Mukhopadhyay (1919-2004), Birendra Chattopadhyay (1920-’85), Sukanta
Vattacharya (1926-’47) – all of them have enriched the world of Bangla poetry.
Sudhindranath is famed especially for his choice of high-sounding words; he was
influenced by Tagore’s diction. Bishnu is our greatest Marxist poet. Amiya and
Buddhadev too have made signs of their merit.
Manik Bandyopadhyay (1908-’56) is the most successful representative of
Marxism in Bangla fiction. Manik’s Putul Nacher Itikatha (1936), Padma Nadir Majhi
(1936) and Ahimsa (1941) are class works; his social and psychological revelation
takes him to an amazing height.
Jagadishchandra Gupta (1886-1957), Shailajananda Mukhopadhyay (1901-
’76), Premendra Mitra (1904-’88), Gajendrakumar Mitra (1908-’94), Subodh Ghosh
(1909-’80), Jyotirindra Nundi (1912-’82), Adwaita Mallabarman (1914-’51), Narayan
Gangopadhyay (1917-’70), Narendranath Mitra (1916-’75), Narayan Gangopadhyay
(1918-’70), Santoshkumar Ghosh (1920-’85), Samaresh Basu (1924-’88) are other
Marxist fiction-writers.
The great leader and political moralist Mahatma Gandhi’s (1869-1948)
influence is evident on many Bengali writers. His doctrines of Ahimsa and
Satyagraha showed us and many other colonized nations a peaceful way of
achieving freedom. Mahatma had exerted influence on the Bengali writers since the
very Tagore’s age. But in the High Modern era, his impact found an intense shape.
Among the Gandhian novelists, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay (1898-1971)
occupies a place in the front line. In his novels, there is a depth of social and
psychological consciousness and also touchy poetic expressions. He masterly
portrayed the transition of Bengali society from the feudalistic to a capitalistic one.
His Jalsha-Ghar (1938), Dhatri-Devata (1939), Kalindi (1940), Gana-Devata (1942),