De, Bishnu (1909-1982) poet, prose writer,
cinema critic and art connoisseur, was born on 18 July 1909, son of Abinash
Chandra De, an attorney. Bishnu De studied at Mitra Institute and Sanskrit
Collegiate School in Kolkata. After matriculating in 1927, he went on
to do his IA from Bangabashi College. He completed his BA (Hons) in English
from St Paul's College and MA in English from Calcutta University. In
1935, he joined Ripon College, Kolkata. He subsequently taught at presidency
college (1944-1947), Maulana Azad College (1947-1969) and Krishnanagar
College.
Bishnu De was one of
the pioneers of the new movement in literature and art that started
with the publication of Kallol in 1923. In 1930 when the
publication of Kallol stopped, he joined sudhindranath
dutta's Parichay and continued working as one
of its editors till 1947. In 1948, with the help of Chanchal Kumar
Chattopadhyay, he published Sahitya Patra. He also edited
a magazine named Nirukta. |
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Bishnu De |
Bishnu De contributed stories and poems to different
magazines in Kolkata. He also wrote on art, music and culture. A number
of his books on prose and poetry have been published, among them Urvashi
O Artemis (1933), Chorabali (1937), Sat Bhai Champa
(1944), Ruchi O Pragati (1946), Sahityer Bhabisyat (1952),
Nam Rekhechhi Komal Gandhar (1953), Tumi Sudhu Panchishe Baishakh
(1958), Rabindranath O Shilpa-Sahitye Adhunikatar Samasya (1966),
Michael, Rabindranath O Anyanya Yijnasa (1967), In the Sun and
the Rain (1972), Uttare Thako Mauna (1977), Sekal Theke
Ekal (1980), Amar Hrdaye Bancho (1981), etc. Bishnu De donated
the royalty he received for his collection of essays, In the Sun and
the Rain, to the Communist Party. He was a fairly prolific poet, publishing
ten volumes of poetry. He also edited a collection of poems, E Kaler
Kavita (Poems of This Era), and published seven books of translations.
He wrote an autobiography: Chhadano Ei Jiban (This Scattered Life).
Bishnu De was one of the five post-Rabindranath poets
of the thirties who ushered in new trends in Bangla poetry. He was inspired
by Marxist philosophy and by the ideas and style of TS Eliot. Numerous
references to the past and to western art and literature make his poetry
somewhat obscure.
Bishnu De's friendship with the artist jamini roy led to his writing several books on art: Art of Jamini Roy (1988), The Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore (1958), India and Modern Art (1959), etc. He was also associated with Calcutta Group Centre, Soviet Friendship Association, Pragati Lekhak Shilpi Sangha, Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), etc.
For his contribution to literature, Bishnu De was awarded
the Sahitya Akademi Award (1966), the Nehru Smriti Award (1967), and the
Rastriya Jnanpith Award (1971). He also got the Soviet Land Award for
Rushti Panchashati. Bishnu De died on 3 December in 1982 in Kolkata.
[Bimal Guha]
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