Assam Little Magazine (Bengali Version)

Book Details

• Author: Jyotirmoy Sengupta
• Publisher: Bangiya Sahitya Samsad
• Language: Bengali
• ISBN: 9789382012221

About the Book

Assam Little Magazine (Bengali Version) is a pioneering work of literary criticism that explores the rich yet relatively understudied tradition of Bengali little magazines and short story writing in Assam. Authored by Jyotirmoy Sengupta, the book offers the first comprehensive study of how little magazines played a vital role in shaping Bengali literary culture in Assam, while documenting the evolution of Assamese Bengali short fiction from the 1970s to the first decade of the twenty-first century.

The book highlights a literary tradition that has largely remained outside the mainstream of Bengali literary discourse. Although Bengali short stories have been written in Assam for decades, much of this creative output has appeared in little magazines and regional newspapers, limiting its reach among the wider Bengali readership. Through meticulous research and critical analysis, the author brings this overlooked literary heritage into the spotlight.

A significant contribution of the book is its detailed examination of the social, political, and cultural contexts that influenced Bengali literature in Assam. Historical events such as the Language Movement and the Anti-Foreigner Movement profoundly shaped the literary imagination of the region. Jyotirmoy Sengupta demonstrates how these complex realities found powerful expression in Assamese Bengali short stories, giving them a distinctive voice within modern Bengali literature.

The volume discusses numerous important short stories and authors whose works deserve wider recognition in the Bengali literary canon. Through close readings of selected stories, the author analyzes themes, narrative techniques, social consciousness, and artistic merit, illustrating how these writings capture the struggles, aspirations, and changing realities of Bengali communities in Assam.

An additional strength of the book is its valuable documentation of Assamese Bengali little magazines. It includes a curated list of significant publications, making it an important reference source for researchers, students, and scholars interested in regional literary movements, periodicals, and the history of Bengali literature beyond West Bengal.

Written in an accessible yet scholarly style, Assam Little Magazine (Bengali Version) is an essential resource for readers interested in Bengali literary criticism, little magazine movements, regional literature, and the evolution of modern Bengali short fiction. The book makes a significant contribution to preserving and promoting an important chapter in the history of Bengali literature.