PREFACE
It is now thirty-eight years since the publication of my first novel "Dipnirvan," and thirty since I took over the editorship of the Bharati. At that time the well-known monthly magazine, the Bangadarshan, under the guidance of that brilliant writer and novelist, the late Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, had passed away, after inaugurating a new era in Bengali literature; and the Bharati, which had been edited for seven years by my eldest brother, Dwijendra Nath Tagore, one of the eminent literary men of Bengal, was also about to retire from the field when I took over the editorship. It is difficult now to imagine the courage then required for a young and inexperienced woman to undertake such an arduous task, and how many difficulties I had to overcome. The literary talent of our Bengali women was at that time almost latent; and by any chance, any one among them showed any ability, the public was astonished.
It was my loving and revered father, Maharshi Devendra Nath Tagore, who had prepared me for my life’s career by giving me an education
