Question

The first novel in Bengali by a woman was_________
A.Karuna O Phulmonir Bibaran
B.Padmarag
C.Sultana's Dream
D.Saraswativijayam

Answer 1

Hint: The Bengali language is a very important language in India. Bengal has produced numerous authors, poets and revolutionaries during the independence of India and later too.

Complete answer: Bengali literature forms a very significant part among all. The first Bengali novel written by a woman named Hana Catherine Mullens was Karuna O Phulmonir Bibaran. She was an educator, translator as well as a writer. Although she was a European, she was excellent in Bengali. Mullens spent most of her life in Calcutta.
Since she was so fluent in Bengali, she was the head of a boarding school for girls as well as gave Bible classes to women. Her book Karuna O Phulmonir Bibaran describes the native Christian women. Catherine Mullens and her husband Joseph Mullens carried out a lot of missionary works for Calcutta. Catherine Mullens is attributed to writing the first Bengali novel. Although there are works by other female authors who claim to have written the first Bengali novel are: Bhabani Charan Bandyopadhyay wrote Nabababubilas but it is considered to be a story and not a novel.
Option A is the correct answer.

Note: While answering this question, do not get confused between the first Bengali novel written by a woman and first Bengali woman to write a Bengali novel. The first Bengali woman to write a novel in Bengali is Swarnakumari Devi who wrote Deepnirban in 1876.