Bangla Sahitye Hasyaras: Ajit Dutta Bengali PDF.

Title— Bangla Sahitye Hasyaras,
Author— Ajit Dutta,
Genre— Bengali Novel, Collection,
Language— Bengali,
Format— PDF,
Availability—Free Download,

The Landscape of Humor in Bengali Literature: Ajit Dutta’s Scholarly Pursuit

In the summer of 1959, renowned Bengali literary critic and writer Ajit Dutta confronted a glaring gap in literary scholarship: the absence of a comprehensive critical work on humor in Bengali literature. While Professor Charu Chandra Bandyopadhyay had earlier published a pioneering book on 19th-century Bengali humor, Dutta found it to be concise and limited in scope—more of an introductory overview for students than a thorough literary analysis.

Dutta observed that although isolated studies on individual humorous writers had emerged over time, many significant authors—especially those known for satire and wit—remained underexplored. He cited Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as a prime example, noting that despite the abundance of literature on him, his humorous writings, particularly the Kamalakanta series, had not received the in-depth attention they deserved.

Motivated by this scholarly void, Dutta embarked on a mission to craft a comprehensive study of humor in Bengali literature. He quickly realized the vastness of the subject and its deep roots in the literary evolution of Bengal. Humor, he argued, was not a peripheral element but a foundational force—especially during the early stages of the modern literary movement, when satire and sketches preceded the rise of idealistic and philosophical themes.

Scope and Structure of the Work

Dutta’s book aims to present:

• A chronological history of humorous writing in Bengali literature.
• Detailed profiles of key humorists, assessing their literary contributions and stylistic nuances.
• An evaluation of their relative merit, not just in terms of humor but within the broader literary canon.

Interestingly, Dutta chose to exclude extensive discussion of ancient and medieval humor, deeming much of it crude and formulaic. Writers like Bijoy Gupta, though historically significant, did not meet the literary standards Dutta sought to uphold in his analysis.

The author presents his perspective on the position of humor in Bengali literature and its evaluation. Here are some important aspects that we can briefly analyze:

Main content of the discussion:

• Evaluation of humor: The author has made a comparative analysis of humorous works of different eras, especially in the case of writers of the modern era.
• Ancient and medieval: Although humor is present in the works of writers such as Vijay Gupta, the author feels that it is “coarse and traditional”, so it has not been discussed extensively.
• Modern literature: The literary personality, tendencies and overall literary achievements of writers whose works contain elements of humor and satire have also been analyzed.

Author’s perspective:

• It has been considered important to evaluate the overall literary contribution of the writer, rather than analyzing humor in isolation.
• The purpose is not only to create a list of humor, but rather to highlight literary depth and context.

Literary Analysis Method:

An attempt to understand the nature of humor by analyzing the writer’s literary personality and tendencies.
Seeing humor as an important branch of literature, along with highlighting its inherent qualities and effects.
This section is a thoughtful and insightful example of the importance of humor in Bengali literature and its analytical method.

Instead, the book focuses on authors whose humor is embedded in literary sophistication and cultural relevance. Among those discussed are:

• Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury
• Rabindranath Tagore
• Kedarnath Bandopadhyay
• Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
• Rajshekhar Basu
• Dwijendralal Ray
• Sukumar Sen, and others.

Methodology and Literary Philosophy

Dutta emphasizes that humor cannot be isolated from a writer’s overall literary personality. To truly understand the humor in an author’s work, one must also grasp their broader literary tendencies, thematic concerns, and stylistic identity. This holistic approach allows for a richer, more nuanced appreciation of Bengali humor.

In discussing post-Tagore writers, Dutta organizes his analysis by birth date rather than literary chronology. This decision stems from the complex web of influences—most notably from Tagore and Dwijendralal Ray—that shaped the language, tone, and worldview of nearly every major writer of the era. He also notes that many revered authors entered the literary scene relatively late, making chronological categorization by age more insightful than by publication date.

Conclusion: Exploring Bengali Literature Humor: Ajit Dutta’s View

Ajit Dutta’s Bangla Sahitye Hasyaras is not merely a catalog of humorous works—it is a thoughtful, scholarly endeavor to trace the evolution of wit and satire in Bengali literature. By integrating literary biography with critical analysis, Dutta offers readers a multidimensional view of humor’s role in shaping Bengali literary identity.

PDF Download: Ajit Dutta on Bengali Literary Humor

Bangla Sahitye Hasyaras PDF (Page—516, Size—17MB)