Devi, Mahasveta (1926–)

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Devi, Mahasveta (1926–)

Indian novelist and playwright. Name variations: Mahasweta or Mahashweta Devi. Born Jan 14, 1926, in Dhaka, present-day Bangladesh; lives in Calcutta; dau. of Manish Ghatak and Dharitri Devi.

Celebrated Bengali writer, was associated with political group Gananatya which performed plays in Bengali villages (1930s–40s); writings, which often address social and political problems, include Jhansi Rani (1956), about the rani of Jhansi, and Agnigarbha (A Womb of Fire, 1978); works translated into English include Ek-kori's Dream (trans. by Lila Majumdar, 1976), Five Plays (trans. by Shamik Bandyopadhyay, 1986), Etoyaa Munda Won the Battle (trans. by Meenakshi Chatterjee, 1989), Basia Tudu (trans. by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Shamik Bandyopadhyay, 1993), and Breast Stories (trans. by Spivak, 1997); nonfiction translated into English includes In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics (trans. by Spivak, 1987); received Jnanpith Award (1996) and Magsaysay Award (1997). A collection of her work in Bengali is being published in 40 vols.

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