Amiya Bhushan Majumdar

Amiya Bhushan Majumdar (Bengali: অমিয় ভূষণ মজুমদার) (22 March 1918 – 8 July 2001) was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, essayist and playwright. In a writing career spanning over four decades, Majumdar wrote numerous novels, short stories, plays and essays in Bengali. Known as the ‘Writer’s Writer’, Majumdar is considered one of the most noteworthy authors of modern Bengali prose. His works received significant critical acclaim and recognition – including the Sahitya Academi Award for his novel Rajnagar in 1986 He was born to Babu Ananta Bhushan Majumdar (actual surname Bagchi) a Bengali Brahmin zamindar in Paksey, Ishwardi Upazila, Pabna, (now in Bangladesh) and Jyotirindu Devi. Though Jyotirindu Devi was also from a Barendra Brahmin family, she was highly influenced by the Brahmo Samaj and had close friends in the Coochbehar royal family. Amiya Bhushan was the eldest among the five sons of Ananta Bhushan and Jyotirindu Devi and had two elder sisters. He spent most of his life in the North Bengal district of Coochbehar. Though he was an honours graduate in English, his command over Mathematics, History, Geography, Philosophy, Sanskrit and Law was enviable. This erudition has always reflected in the narratives he created. In 1937 he was enrolled in B. A. English honours class at the Scottish Church College, under the University of Calcutta. Owing to serious illness, he went back to Cooch Behar after a few months and got admitted to Victoria College (now Acharya Brojendra Nath Seal College). After earning his degree in 1939, he was compelled by circumstances to take up a job as a Graduate Clerk in the Coochbehar Head Post Office to support his family, drawing a full stop to what could have become a brilliant academic career.