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Mahasweta Devi

マハシュウェタ・デーヴィ

Mahasweta Devi

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1926-01-14 （Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh)）
Died
2016-07-28 （Kolkata, West Bengal, India） age 90
Nationality
India
Languages
Bengali, English
Religion
Hinduism
Residence History
Dacca (birthplace) → Santiniketan (early schooling) → Kolkata (long-term residence) → Extended stays in Adivasi villages in West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Career

Occupations
Writer, Activist, Teacher, Journalist
Active Years
1950-2016
Influenced By
Manish Ghatak (father), Ritwik Ghatak (uncle, filmmaker)
Influenced
Nabarun Bhattacharya (son, writer), Numerous contemporary Bengali writers and activists

Education

Visva-Bharati University
Faculty (English) / English
Degree: B.A. (Hons)
Period: 1936–1940年代（在学期およそ）
Country: India
Studied at the university founded by Rabindranath Tagore. Exact graduation year varies in sources.
University of Calcutta
Postgraduate (English) / English
Degree: M.A.
Period: 1940年代（在学期およそ）
Country: India
Completed an M.A. at the University of Calcutta. Exact year not specified in provided data.

Awards

Sahitya Akademi Award
1979
Work: Aranyer Adhikar (Right to the Forest)
Organization: Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters, India)
Result: 受賞
Padma Shri
1986
Category: 社会福祉／社会活動
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Jnanpith Award
1996
Category: 文学
Organization: Bharatiya Jnanpith
Result: 受賞
Ramon Magsaysay Award
1997
Category: ジャーナリズム、文学、創造的コミュニケーション芸術
Organization: Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
Result: 受賞
Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
2003
Organization: French Ministry of Culture / Government of France
Result: 受賞
Padma Vibhushan
2006
Category: 文学・教育
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
SAARC Literary Award
2007
Organization: SAARC-related organization
Result: 受賞
Man Booker International Prize (shortlisted)
2009
Organization: Man Booker Prize organization
Result: ノミネート（ショートリスト）
Yashwantrao Chavan National Award
2010
Organization: Awarding body (India)
Result: 受賞
Banga Bibhushan
2011
Organization: Government of West Bengal
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Jhansi Rani (The Queen of Jhansi)

1956 Biography / Historical reconstruction

A reconstruction of the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai based on historical documents, folk tales and oral traditions; based on field research and collected materials.

Colonialism and resistancePeople's historyFemale heroism

Hajar Churashir Maa (Mother of 1084)

1974 Novel

A novel portraying political repression and its victims from a mother's perspective; set against the backdrop of Naxalite movements and leftist politics, focusing on women's suffering and resistance.

Political repressionMotherhood and lossResistance
Adaptations
  • [Film] Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (film) / 不明 (1998)

Aranyer Adhikar (Right to the Forest)

1979 Novel / Social-historical fiction

Deals with the history and rights of tribal leaders like Birsa Munda, depicting struggles over forest and land; a socially critical work centered on the oppressed.

Tribal rightsStruggle over land and forestsSocial injustice

Chotti Munda Ebong Tar Tir (Chotti Munda and His Arrow)

1980 Novel

Through the life of an Adivasi character, depicts injustice, resistance and communal narratives.

Adivasi cultureNarratives of resistanceLabor and exploitation

Rudaali

Short story (adapted to film)

A story about women who are professional mourners; touches on humanism, class and gender discrimination.

Oppression of womenPoverty and livelihoodClass issues
Adaptations
  • [Film] Rudaali (film) / 不明 (1993)

Bibliography

  • Hajar Churashir Maa (1974) and many others
  • Aranyer Adhikar (1979) and many others
  • Over 100 novels and more than 20 short story collections

Adaptations

  • Film Rudaali (1993) and several other film adaptations
  • Film Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998)

Translations of Works

  • English translation: The Queen of Jhansi (Seagull Books, 2000)
  • English translations of selected short stories by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and others

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Social realismField-research-based narrativeEthnographic depictionConcise and persuasive prose
Recurring Motifs
Oppression and resistanceLives and culture of tribal peoplesWomen's suffering and strengthControl over land and resources

Health

  • Diabetes
    晩年まで継続的に罹患
    Contributed to deterioration of general health
  • Sepsis
    晩年
    Contributed to multiple organ failure
  • Urinary infection
    晩年
    Required treatment and hospitalization

Legacy

Mahasweta Devi was a major socially committed Bengali writer who championed the rights of Adivasi and Dalit and other marginalized people through both literature and activism. She received numerous literary awards and national honours and left a lasting impact on contemporary Indian literature and human rights movements.

Museums

  • Mahasweta Devi Memorial at Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh Tejgadh, Gujarat, India Opened in 2016

In Popular Culture

  • Biopic film Mahananda (dir. Arindam Sil, 2022)

Quotes

  • "I have always believed that the real history is made by ordinary people. ... For me, the endless source of ingredients for writing is in these amazingly noble, suffering human beings."
    Source: Interview/essay excerpt (1990)

Trivia

  • Honoured with a Google Doodle on 14 January 2018.
  • Her son was writer Nabarun Bhattacharya.
  • Published over 100 novels and more than 20 short story collections in her lifetime.