Indian Literature

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Indian literature is one of the oldest in the world. India has twenty two recognized languages and is rich in arts and literature because of the many cultural influences through out its history.

Today some of India's most influential authors are Asapurna Devi, and Rabindranath Tagore. Both of these authors have won prestigious awards for their famous works, and are adding to the literature that tells of life in present day India.

Ashapurna Devi was born on 8 February 1909. Ashapurna grew up in Calcutta, where her father was an artist. She wrote her first stories during 1930's, for adolescents. Her first adult story was in 1937, The Husband's Lover, in which she touched the changing and contradictory expectations of men from women - as traditional, obedient wives and at the same time, as stimulating, glamorous lovers to show-off to others. At the same time, she explores the inner desires and aspirations of her women characters.

Ashapurna Devi was a prolific writer and has to her credits 175 novels, 30 short stories, and 47 children's books . Some of her well known works consist of Pratham Pratishruti, Subarnata and Ashapurna Devi was known for her strong female characters, covering the changing roles of women in India. One of her most loved books Swarnlata tells of a women who dreams of education for herself and her daughters. In Swarnlata the protagonist fought her entire life with her family who couldn't see her desire to fight against the British for India's independence and women's rights.

On this poster There is a picture of how women were to greet men in Indian society, Devi strongly disagreed with this and wrote against it.

Ashapurna Devi won several awards including the national Jnanapeeth award, the highest honor in Indian literature.

A poet, a scholar,