Jyotirmoyee Devi () (1894–1988) was an Indian writer in the early twentieth century. She wrote predominantly about women in the
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
of her childhood and in what is now
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
Jaipur
Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
in 1894, where her family had lived since 1857.
When she was 25 years old, her husband died of influenza. With six small children, Devi returned to her parents' house, leaving one child with her husband’s family. She lived under the rules of orthodox
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
widowhood. She spent much of her time secluded and read from her grandfather's library.
She also wrote non-fiction, writing especially about the rights of women and
Dalit
Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...
s. Her collection of short stories, ''Sona Rupa Noy'' (Not Gold and Silver) won the
Rabindra Puraskar
The Rabindra Puraskar (also Rabindra Smriti Puraskar) is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is named after the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and is administered by the Government of ...
in 1973. From 1959 to 1988 she resided in the Shyambazar area.
Bibliography
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* (With ''Introduction'' by
Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi (14 January 1926 – 28 July 2016) ''