Shobhanasundari Mukhopadhyay (born Shovona Devi Tagore in 1877 in Calcutta; died May 26, 1937, in Howrah[1]) was an Indian writer, known for her collections of folktales. She was the daughter of Hemendranath Tagore and the niece of writer Rabindranath Tagore.
The fifth daughter of Hemendranath Tagore, Shovona Devi Tagore was raised in an upper-class, English-educated Hindu family in Calcutta (Kolkata).[2][3] She married Nagendranath Mukhopadhyay, who was an English professor in Jaipur.[3]
In 1923, her uncle Rabindranath Tagore wrote the letter-poem "Shillong-er Chithi" ("Letter from Shillong") to a young Shovona.[4]
She died in 1937 at age sixty of complications relating to high blood pressure.[1]
Writing
One of Mukhopadhyay's first projects was an English translation of her aunt Swarnakumari Devi's Bengali novel Kahake?[3][5] After this, Mukhopadhyay became interested in recording local oral traditions and folktales.
The Orient Pearls (1915)
The Orient Pearls: Indian Folklore contains twenty-eight folktales, gathered by Mukhopadhyay herself, some from family servants.[2][6][3] Her prefatory note to the book describes her inspiration and process:
The idea of writing these tales occurred to me while reading a volume of short stories by my uncle, Sir Rabindranath Tagore; but as I have none of his inventive genius, I set about collecting folk-tales and putting them into an English garb; and the tales contained in the following pages were told to me by various illiterate village folks, and not a few by a blind man still in my service, with a retentive memory, and a great capacity for telling a story.[7]
The Orient Pearls was reviewed in publications such as The Dial and The Spectator and appeared in libraries around the world shortly after its publication.[8][9][10] The book brought Bengali folktales to the attention of English-speaking folklorists around the world, who used it as a source in their comparative work, including new forms of computer-aided study.[11][12][13][14] Her stories have been republished in recent academic collections of the writings of Indian women.[15]
Some scholars have positioned Mukhopadhyay's work as similar in method and tone to British colonial ethnography.[2][16] Others describe its similarity to other Victorian short story collections produced in India and elsewhere, filled with subtle ideas about social reform,[17] or as demonstrative of the complex sociopolitical circumstances of translating folktales into the colonizer's language.[citation needed] Others view her interest in local culture as a precursor to Indian nationalism.[18] Another scholar argues that Tagore's preface acknowledges the constrained position of a female author.[19]
Later works
Mukhopadhyay published four books on Indian folklore, religion, culture, and myths for the London-based publishing firm Macmillan between 1915 and 1920. In Indian Fables and Folk-lore (1919) and The Tales of the Gods of India (1920), she includes information on her source material for the stories, something she had not previously done.[3][20]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Shobhanasundari Mukhopadhyay
Works
To Whom? An Indian Love Story (translation of Kahake? by Swarnakumari Devi, her aunt) (1898[5] or 1910[3])
The Orient Pearls: Indian Folktales (1915) (At Wikisource; at Archive.org)
Indian Fables and Folk-lore (1919) (transcription project; open access on HathiTrust; open access on GoogleBooks)
The Tales of the Gods of India (1920)
References
^ ab"Deaths". The Times of India. Mumbai, India. 10 June 1937. p. 2.
^ abcPrasad, Leela (2020-11-15). The Audacious Raconteur: Sovereignty and Storytelling in Colonial India. Cornell University Press. p. 7. ISBN978-1-5017-5228-5.
^Das, Manosh (June 28, 2012). "Tagore's 'Letter from Shillong' in English". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ abRani, K. Suneetha (2017-09-25). Influence of English on Indian Women Writers: Voices from Regional Languages. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN978-93-81345-34-4.
^Mukhopadhyay, Shobhanasundari (1915). The Orient Pearls. New York: MacMillan and Co., Ltd.
^Bulletin of the Public Library of the City of Boston. Boston: The Trustees of the Boston Public Library. 1916. p. 123.
^"New Books". The Dial. LX (716): 394. April 13, 1916 – via Google Books.
^"The Orient Pearls by Shovona Devi (book review)". The Spectator. 115 (4564): 885. December 18, 1915 – via ProQuest. This is a collection of fairy-stories, fables, and folklore which may take a good place among the numerous books of this kind that now come to us from India. If the English is the unaided work of Sir Rabindranath Tagore's niece, it is a remarkable achievement; little naïvetés of expression and unexpected terms add piquancy rather than detract from the effect.
^Brown, W. N. (1921). "Vyaghramari, or the Lady Tiger-Killer: A Study of the Motif of Bluff in Hindu Fiction". American Journal of Philology. XLII (166): 139 – via GoogleBooks.
^Bruce, James Douglas (1923). The Evolution of Arthurian Romance from the Beginnings Down to the Year 1300. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. p. 22.
^Davidson, Hilda Ellis; Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis; Chaudhri, Anna (2006). A Companion to the Fairy Tale. DS Brewer. p. 245. ISBN978-1-84384-081-7.
^Colby, B. N.; Collier, George A.; Postal, Susan K. (1963). "Comparison of Themes in Folktales by the General Inquirer System". The Journal of American Folklore. 76 (302): 318–323. doi:10.2307/537928. ISSN 0021-8715. JSTOR 537928.
^Souza, Eunice de; Pereira, Lindsay (2004). Women's Voices: Selections from Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Indian Writing in English. Oxford University Press India. p. 380. ISBN978-0-19-566785-1.
^Prasad, Leela (2003). "The Authorial Other in Folktale Collections in Colonial India: Tracing Narration and its Dis/Continuities". Cultural Dynamics. 15 (1): 7. doi:10.1177/a033107. S2CID 219962230.
^K., Naik, M. (1987). "Chapter 3: The Winds of Change: 1857 to 1920". Studies in Indian English literature. Sterling Publishers. ISBN81-207-0657-9. OCLC 17208758.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Islam, Mazharul (1985). Folklore, the Pulse of the People: In the Context of Indic Folklore. Concept Publishing Company. p. 117.
^Roy, Sarani (2021-07-31). "Defining the Rupkatha: Tracing the Generic Tradition of the Bengali Fairy Tale". Children's Literature in Education. 53 (4): 488–506. doi:10.1007/s10583-021-09457-6. ISSN 0045-6713. S2CID 238761580.
^Shovona, Devi (1919). Indian Fables and Folk-lore. Macmillan.
August 21, 2023
shobhanasundari, mukhopadhyay, born, shovona, devi, tagore, 1877, calcutta, died, 1937, howrah, indian, writer, known, collections, folktales, daughter, hemendranath, tagore, niece, writer, rabindranath, tagore, shovona, devi, 1915born1877calcutta, british, in. Shobhanasundari Mukhopadhyay born Shovona Devi Tagore in 1877 in Calcutta died May 26 1937 in Howrah 1 was an Indian writer known for her collections of folktales She was the daughter of Hemendranath Tagore and the niece of writer Rabindranath Tagore Shobhanasundari MukhopadhyayShovona Devi 1915Born1877Calcutta British IndiaDied1937Howrah British IndiaOther namesShovona Devi Shovona Tagore Shovana Devi Shovana TagoreParentHemendranath Tagore father RelativesNiece of Rabindranath Tagore Contents 1 Biography 2 Writing 2 1 The Orient Pearls 1915 2 2 Later works 3 Works 4 ReferencesBiography EditThe fifth daughter of Hemendranath Tagore Shovona Devi Tagore was raised in an upper class English educated Hindu family in Calcutta Kolkata 2 3 She married Nagendranath Mukhopadhyay who was an English professor in Jaipur 3 In 1923 her uncle Rabindranath Tagore wrote the letter poem Shillong er Chithi Letter from Shillong to a young Shovona 4 She died in 1937 at age sixty of complications relating to high blood pressure 1 Writing EditOne of Mukhopadhyay s first projects was an English translation of her aunt Swarnakumari Devi s Bengali novel Kahake 3 5 After this Mukhopadhyay became interested in recording local oral traditions and folktales The Orient Pearls 1915 Edit The Orient Pearls Indian Folklore contains twenty eight folktales gathered by Mukhopadhyay herself some from family servants 2 6 3 Her prefatory note to the book describes her inspiration and process The idea of writing these tales occurred to me while reading a volume of short stories by my uncle Sir Rabindranath Tagore but as I have none of his inventive genius I set about collecting folk tales and putting them into an English garb and the tales contained in the following pages were told to me by various illiterate village folks and not a few by a blind man still in my service with a retentive memory and a great capacity for telling a story 7 The Orient Pearls was reviewed in publications such as The Dial and The Spectator and appeared in libraries around the world shortly after its publication 8 9 10 The book brought Bengali folktales to the attention of English speaking folklorists around the world who used it as a source in their comparative work including new forms of computer aided study 11 12 13 14 Her stories have been republished in recent academic collections of the writings of Indian women 15 Some scholars have positioned Mukhopadhyay s work as similar in method and tone to British colonial ethnography 2 16 Others describe its similarity to other Victorian short story collections produced in India and elsewhere filled with subtle ideas about social reform 17 or as demonstrative of the complex sociopolitical circumstances of translating folktales into the colonizer s language citation needed Others view her interest in local culture as a precursor to Indian nationalism 18 Another scholar argues that Tagore s preface acknowledges the constrained position of a female author 19 Later works EditMukhopadhyay published four books on Indian folklore religion culture and myths for the London based publishing firm Macmillan between 1915 and 1920 In Indian Fables and Folk lore 1919 and The Tales of the Gods of India 1920 she includes information on her source material for the stories something she had not previously done 3 20 Wikisource has original text related to this article Shobhanasundari MukhopadhyayWorks EditTo Whom An Indian Love Story translation of Kahake by Swarnakumari Devi her aunt 1898 5 or 1910 3 The Orient Pearls Indian Folktales 1915 At Wikisource at Archive org Indian Nature Myths 1919 open access at Internet Archive Indian Fables and Folk lore 1919 transcription project open access on HathiTrust open access on GoogleBooks The Tales of the Gods of India 1920 References Edit a b Deaths The Times of India Mumbai India 10 June 1937 p 2 a b c Prasad Leela 2020 11 15 The Audacious Raconteur Sovereignty and Storytelling in Colonial India Cornell University Press p 7 ISBN 978 1 5017 5228 5 a b c d e f Deb Chitra 2010 04 06 Women of The Tagore Household Penguin UK ISBN 978 93 5214 187 6 Das Manosh June 28 2012 Tagore s Letter from Shillong in English The Times of India Retrieved 2021 11 07 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Rani K Suneetha 2017 09 25 Influence of English on Indian Women Writers Voices from Regional Languages SAGE Publishing India ISBN 978 93 81345 34 4 Prasad Leela October 2015 Cordelia s Salt Interspatial Reading of Indic Filial Love Stories Oral Histories 29 2 253 eISSN 1542 4308 Mukhopadhyay Shobhanasundari 1915 The Orient Pearls New York MacMillan and Co Ltd Bulletin of the Public Library of the City of Boston Boston The Trustees of the Boston Public Library 1916 p 123 New Books The Dial LX 716 394 April 13 1916 via Google Books The Orient Pearls by Shovona Devi book review The Spectator 115 4564 885 December 18 1915 via ProQuest This is a collection of fairy stories fables and folklore which may take a good place among the numerous books of this kind that now come to us from India If the English is the unaided work of Sir Rabindranath Tagore s niece it is a remarkable achievement little naivetes of expression and unexpected terms add piquancy rather than detract from the effect Brown W N 1921 Vyaghramari or the Lady Tiger Killer A Study of the Motif of Bluff in Hindu Fiction American Journal of Philology XLII 166 139 via GoogleBooks Bruce James Douglas 1923 The Evolution of Arthurian Romance from the Beginnings Down to the Year 1300 Baltimore Johns Hopkins Press p 22 Davidson Hilda Ellis Davidson Hilda Roderick Ellis Chaudhri Anna 2006 A Companion to the Fairy Tale DS Brewer p 245 ISBN 978 1 84384 081 7 Colby B N Collier George A Postal Susan K 1963 Comparison of Themes in Folktales by the General Inquirer System The Journal of American Folklore 76 302 318 323 doi 10 2307 537928 ISSN 0021 8715 JSTOR 537928 Souza Eunice de Pereira Lindsay 2004 Women s Voices Selections from Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Indian Writing in English Oxford University Press India p 380 ISBN 978 0 19 566785 1 Prasad Leela 2003 The Authorial Other in Folktale Collections in Colonial India Tracing Narration and its Dis Continuities Cultural Dynamics 15 1 7 doi 10 1177 a033107 S2CID 219962230 K Naik M 1987 Chapter 3 The Winds of Change 1857 to 1920 Studies in Indian English literature Sterling Publishers ISBN 81 207 0657 9 OCLC 17208758 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Islam Mazharul 1985 Folklore the Pulse of the People In the Context of Indic Folklore Concept Publishing Company p 117 Roy Sarani 2021 07 31 Defining the Rupkatha Tracing the Generic Tradition of the Bengali Fairy Tale Children s Literature in Education 53 4 488 506 doi 10 1007 s10583 021 09457 6 ISSN 0045 6713 S2CID 238761580 Shovona Devi 1919 Indian Fables and Folk lore Macmillan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shobhanasundari Mukhopadhyay amp oldid 1157442016, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
