Nawab Faizunnessa, Rupjalal

Fayeza Hasanat (University of Central Florida)

Ed. by Niaz Zaman, Independent University Bangladesh
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.2: Pakistani and Bangladeshi Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Muneeza Shamsie (Independent Scholar - Asia), Niaz Zaman (Independent University Bangladesh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1876

Places

Bangladesh (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Published in 1876, Rupjalal, is the first known full-length creative text written by a Bengali Muslim woman. Its author, Nawab Faizunnesa (1834-1903) was a provincial ruler in colonial Bengal, a philanthropist, a social reformer, and a pioneer Muslim feminist. Influenced by popular romance narratives (known as mangalkabya) of the early seventeenth to the late eighteenth century and the epic tales of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Arabian Nights, Faizunnesa wrote a romantic tale about a distressed damsel named Rup and a valiant hero named Jalal. In a mixed genre of prose and poetry, she narrates the story of Jalal who undertakes a perilous journey to rescue Rup from a giant named …

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1242 words

Citation: Hasanat, Fayeza. "Rupjalal". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 April 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39261, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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