Gadyasangraha

• Author: Father Paul Dethienne
• Publisher: Ananda Publisher
• Language: Bengali
• ISBN: 9789350401255
• Pages: 692
• Format: Hardcover
• Weight: 1038 g

Description

Gadyasangraha is a collection of Bengali prose written by Father Paul Dethienne, a Belgian Jesuit priest who made Bengali his medium of expression. His writings reflect his deep love and respect for the Bengali language and culture, which he embraced after coming to Kolkata in 1949.

• A Belgian in Bengal: Father Dethienne's journey began when he arrived in Kolkata in 1949, where he immersed himself in learning both Sanskrit and Bengali. His love for Bengali literature and culture grew as he became acquainted with the works of Bengal's great literary figures.

• Literary Contributions: His literary career took off with the publication of Diary-er Chhera Pata in Desh magazine and Rojnamcha in Amrit magazine. These early works marked the beginning of his journey as a writer in Bengali.

• A Unique Foreign Voice: What makes Father Dethienne's writing special is the perspective of a foreigner, whose love for the language and culture led him to produce high-quality literature. His prose shows a deep understanding of Bengali society, history, and emotions.

• A Tribute to Bengali Language: This collection is a testament to his admiration for Bengali and his deep integration into Bengali literary traditions. His works, written in Bengali, break boundaries as a foreigner who became an integral part of the Bengali literary landscape.

• Awards and Recognition: Father Dethienne’s work earned him significant recognition, including the Narsingh Das Award from Delhi University in 1972 for Diary-er Chhera Pata and the Rabindra Award in 2010 for his contributions to Bengali literature.

• Legacy: His writings are a valuable addition to the corpus of Bengali literature, and Gadyasangraha serves as a definitive collection of his thoughts, experiences, and reflections on Bengali life and culture, written with a foreigner's perspective but an insider’s heart.

• About the Author: Father Paul Dethienne was born in 1924 in Belgium and joined the Jesuit community in 1942. He came to India in 1949, where he learned Bengali and began writing in the language. Father Dethienne spent nearly three decades in India, contributing to Bengali literature before returning to Belgium in 1978.