ময়ূখ চৌধুরী : বাংলা কথাসাহিত্য ও কমিকসে স্বাতন্ত্র্যের অনুসন্ধান/ Mayukh Chowdhury : Bangla Kathasahitya o Comics-e Swatantrer Anusandhan

Abstract

Mayukh Chowdhury (1926-1996) was a renowned comics and fiction writer of Bengali adolescent literature. Being a part of the golden age of 'Sandesh' Patrika (edited by Satyajit Roy) and 'Kishor Bharati' (edited by Dinesh Chandra Chattopadhyay) he created a new era in Bengali Comics Literature. Besides this, he has written various fictions - Adventures, Historical novels and his signature Hunting stories. Mayukh Chowdhury's world was very fascinating - full of jungle stories, the characters of his fiction was very brave and rebellion-- most of them were wild animal. Overall, his writings were very different - both in form and content.

           In this short dissertation, there is a search of the particularity, excellence and value of his work. Both content and form have been discussed in this dissertation. At the same time, a comprehensive overview of his vast body of work has also been provided. The first section introduces his diverse body of fiction - encompassing Hunting and Forest Tales, Historical Novels and distinctive Adventure narratives. The second part discusses the characteristics of the writing and illustration of his comics. Much like his fiction, Mayukh Chowdhury's comics also display an epic scope. Wild animals, in particular, appear in his comics with their peculiar psychological emotions. There is always a presence of a unique kind of love in Chowdhury's stories. Yet, themes of mistrust, inhumanity, war and hatred frequently appeared in his fiction and comics. He also made the Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's struggle-full life the subject of comics illustration.

           Despite his distinctiveness, Mayukh Chowdhury has not been studies extensively. His writings have not received much critical attention, largely because they stand apart from the mainstream social discourse of Bengal. Yet, distinguished by his exceptional skill in both composition and illustration, Chowdhury represents a significant chapter in literally landscape. This dissertation has been written to explore that very distinctiveness.