Bishnu Dey

Bishnu Dey (বিষ্ণু দে; July 18, 1909 – December 3, 1982) was a leading Bengali poet, writer, essayist, academician, art appreciator, and connoisseur in the era of modernism and post-modernism.

Modern Bengali poetry originated between the two World Wars.

This period was also marked by the escalation of the Indian independence movement.

The poverty of villagers and laborers and the unseemly affluence of some opportunists made the young generation hopelessly depressed.

Young poets started writing in protest, in a new style.

This literary crusade was championed by Bishnu Dey, Jibanananda Das, Buddhadeb Basu, Sudhindranath Dutta, Amiya Chakravarty, and others.

These pioneers created and structured contemporary Bengali poetry in the post-Rabindranath era.

Bishnu Dey was steeped in his country’s lore; he was in tune with India’s traditions even as he wrote what might be called revolutionary poetry, both in form and content.

Unquestionably, his poetry dealt with fundamental events at home and beyond.

He wrote about his country and its men and women who suffered grievously throughout history but somehow remained unvanquished.

India’s music—especially Indian classical music and Rabindranath’s songs—was close to Dey’s heart.

He translated poems written in the Santhal, Oraon, and Chhattisgarh languages through William Archer and Verrier Elwin.

And yet, he was also an aficionado of Western classical music and, through his poetry, familiarized readers with this genre, Western mythology, literature, and art.

Bishnu Dey always supported truly progressive trends in this country.

“Deeply drawn towards the social analysis of Marxism, he has achieved, in his own way, a unique mental adjustment – it has cost him much, especially the Establishment’s ire, but perhaps it has given him the sustenance which is the secret of his unceasing literary labors.” (by Hirendranath Mukherjee, book jacket of ‘In the Sun and the Rain’ by Bishnu Dey)

Early Life: Bishnu Dey was born in North Calcutta on July 18, 1909, the fifth of seven children of Monoharini and Abinash Chandra Dey.

His father was an attorney by profession.

Although he started with Mitra Institution, Bishnu Dey completed his schooling at the Sanskrit Collegiate School in 1927.

His first story, ‘Puraner Punorjanma,’ (পুরাণের পুনর্জন্ম) was published in 1928 in Pragati (প্রগতি) magazine by Budhhadeb Basu.

Dey's stories and poems were regularly published in Pragati, Bichitra, Dhupchhaya, Kallol, and other noteworthy magazines.

Many of the poems in his first and second books were written during these years.

By this time, Dey was in profound admiration of T.S. Eliot’s work.

In 1928, he met Sudhindranath Dutta of Porichoy (পরিচয়) magazine, another poet with whom he could truly communicate.

In 1930, Dey received his Intermediate Degree from Bangabasi College, Kolkata.

From 1930-32, Dey pursued his bachelor's degree at Kolkata’s St. Paul’s College, majoring in English, with Philosophy and History.

This was a turning point in Dey’s life.

Thanks to his teachers, he could reach deep into Western classical music and Marxist philosophy – both remained inseparable from his existence till the end.

Dey’s literary pursuits started early, during his school days.

At his request, Dutta wrote the essay, ‘Kabyer Mukti,’ (কাব্যের মুক্তি) which appeared in the inaugural issue of Porichoy in 1931.

Dey was a regular at the Porichoy ‘adda’ – usually at Sudhindranath’s place.

Here, he met luminaries from the amazing talent pool of Bengal, like the artist Jamini Roy and the scientist Satyendra Nath Bose, both of whom became lifelong friends.

In 1933, Dey’s first book Urboshi O Artemis (উর্বশী ও আর্টেমিস) was published.

In 1934, he received his master’s degree from Calcutta University.

So did Pranati Ray Chaudhuri, daughter of Phullonalini and Prabhat Kusum Ray Chaudhuri.

Bishnu and Pranati got married the same year, on December 2, 1934.

By this time, the family had moved to South Kolkata.

In July 1935, Dey joined Ripon College (now Surendranath College) as a professor of English.

Dey's seminal work, Smriti Satta Bhabishyat (স্মৃতি সত্তা ভবিষ্যৎ; Memory, the Being, the Future, 1955–61, published in 1963), set a new precedent in Bengali poetry.

It won him the 1965 Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali and the highest literary award in India, the Jnanpith Award, in 1971.

Dey’s poems have been translated into English (by the poet himself and others) and into Indian languages like Hindi and Kannada.