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Majumder, Mohitlal (1888-1952) poet, essayist and literary
critic, was born on 26 October 1888 in the village of Kanchrapara in Nadia
district. Mohitlal started as a poet, but later became better known as
a literary critic. He graduated in arts in 1908 from Ripon College (now
Vidyasagar College), Kolkata. He began his career as a teacher at Calcutta
High School and continued in this profession until 1928. He also worked
briefly as a kanungo (1914-1917) in the Settlement Department.
He joined dhaka
university as a lecturer in the Bangla and Sanskrit Department
in 1928 and retired from there in 1944.
Mohitlal Majumder made
his literary debut through the journal manasi.
Later, he contributed regularly to journals such as the bharati
and Shanibarer Chithi. His early poems, written in pleasing
rhythms, reflect the aspirations and sorrows of a dreaming youth.
Acquainted with Arabic and Persian, he used Arabic and Persian words
in his poems. His poems are inspired by both aestheticism and spiritualism.
Mohitlal early poems reveal the influence of rabindranath
tagore, but later, as a member of the Shanibarer Chithi
group, he distanced himself from the older poet.
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Mohitlal Majumder |
He did not regard Tagore's poetic works (post-fifty)
with much respect and made an effort to replace him with michael
madhusudan dutt and bankimchandra
chattopadhyay.
As a literary critic, Mohitlal attempted to set standards
and reveal the problems of art and literature. His psychological and poet-like
approach greatly elevated the status of criticism. In writing critiques
he used a number of pseudonyms such as krittivas
ojha, Sabyasachi and Sri Satyasundar Das.
Mohitlal was a prolific writer. Among his books are Svapan
Pasari (1921), Smargaral (1936), Adhunik Bangla Sahitya
(1936), Bangla Kavitar Chhanda (1945), Kavi Shri Madhusudan
(1947), Sahitya Bichar (1947), Bangla O Banali (1951), and
Kavi Rabindra O Rabindrakavya (1st Vol. 1952, 2nd Vol. 1953). He
also edited bangadarshan
for some time. [Bilkis Rahman]
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