Prabasi
 Prabasi magazines, 1st number, 1308 BS | |
| Editor | Ramananda Chatterjee Ashutosh Chakroborty (কার্য্যাধ্যহ্ম) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Indian press |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Country | British India |
| Based in | Allahabad Kolkata |
| Language | Bengali |
Prabasi (Bengali: প্রবাসী) was a monthly Bengali language literary magazine edited by Ramananda Chatterjee.
History and profile
Prabasi was founded by Ramananda Chatterjee in 1901 and ran for over 60 years.[1] It published many important Bengali authors, the most significant being Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore who published regularly in it from 1914 until his death.[1] "It is no exaggeration to say that [Tagore's] major creations reached Bengali homes through [Prabasi]."[1] There were over 350 contributors during its existence, including most of the major poet and prose writers of the day.[1] The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh said "Prabasi's fame remains almost unsurpassed by any other Bengali periodical."[1] From 1901 to 1905 it was published in Allahabad.[2] Then it was headquartered in Kolkata.[2]
When Prabasi first appeared, it pioneered a mix of book excerpts, poetry and one-act plays, alongside reviews and essays.[3] It also included serialized fiction, including Rabindranath Tagore's Gora (1907-1909).[3] It also included articles on history, art, archaeology, sociology, education, literature and literary theories, scientific topics, and travelogues.[1] The magazine was known for its art and illustrations. It was the first ever periodical in Bengali to feature a reproduction of a photograph on its cover purely for the sake of illustration.[4][self-published source?] Prabasi gave the chance to women to prove themselves as writer.[4]
"Prabasi" literally means a "Bengali living outside Bengal",[5] which can be translated as "Exile". Chatterjee wrote in 1903, "In truth, we are Indians first and Bengalis next."[5]
The sister magazine of Prabasi was Modern Review. Because of the initial poor sales of Prabasi, Ramananda Chatterjee launched Modern Review in 1907, targeted to English-speaking Indians.[6] Modern Review was a great success and was read nationwide.[6]
Authors and works
Some of the authors and works featured in the magazine include:
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