ধূর্জটিপ্রসাদ মুখোপাধ্যায়ের দৃষ্টিতে মানিক বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় : সাহিত্য সমালোচনার পুনর্মূল্যায়ন/ Manik Bandopadhyay in the view of Dhurjatiprasad Mukhopadhyay: A reappraisal of literary criticism

Abstract

In 1940, Dhurjatiprasad Mukhopadhyay authored the inaugural critical essay on Manik Bandyopadhyay, titled ‘Manik Bandyopadhyay’, which was published in the ‘Parichay’ journal. By that time, Bandyopadhyay had already published twelve volumes of fiction. Notable among these were celebrated and popular novels such as ‘Dibaratrir Kabya’, ‘Putul nacher Itikatha’, and ‘Padma Nadir Majhi, alongside short story collections including ‘Atashimami O Anyanya Galpo’, ‘Pragoitihashik’, ‘Sarisrip’, and ‘Bou’.

While Bandyopadhyay’s literary trajectory witnessed a distinct transition from the Freudian psychoanalytic approach of his early phase to the ideologies of Marxism and Socialist Realism following his induction into the Communist Party of India in 1944, it is particularly intriguing that the earliest appraisal of his work was conducted by a figure of Dhurjatiprasad Mukhopadhyay’s stature—a rationalist writer and Marxist literary theorist. However, Mukhopadhyay raised certain objections regarding Bandyopadhyay’s literature, establishing a legacy of criticism and inquiry that persisted in subsequent discourse.

In this research paper, we have critically examined the validity of these allegations against Bandyopadhyay, analyzing the extent to which they are logically grounded. Our findings suggest that the very elements previously identified as flaws have subsequently been recognized as Bandyopadhyay’s distinctive strengths and stylistic signatures. Consequently, this study illuminates the historical significance of Dhurjatiprasad Mukhopadhyay’s essay from multiple perspectives.