Rajmohan's Wife and Sultana's Dream (1864/1908) features the debut
novel of Indian writer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and a story by Bengali
writer, feminist, and educator Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain. Rajmohan's
Wife, Chattopadhyay's only work in English, launched his career as a
leading Bengali intellectual and political figure. Written in English,
Sultana's Dream originated as a way of passing time for its young
author while her husband was away on work. Initially published in The
Indian Ladies Magazine, Sultana's Dream helped establish Rokeya's
reputation as a leading figure in Bengali arts and culture.
Rajmohan's Wife is the story of Matangini, a beautiful woman married
to a violent, jealous man. Unable to marry the man she loves--who
happens to be her own sister's husband--she settles for the villainous
Rajmohan, an abusive man who rules his middle-class Bengali household
with an iron fist. With the help of her friend Kanak, Matangini does her
best to avoid her husband's wrath, illuminating the importance of
solidarity among women faced with oppression. Vindictive and cruel,
Rajmohan secretly enacts a plan to rob Madhav, his brother-in-law, in
order to obtain and invalidate a will.
Sultana's Dream is set in Ladyland is a feminist utopia ruled by
women, a perfect civilization with no need for men, who remain secluded
and without power. Free to develop their own society, women have
invented flying cars, perfected farming to the point where no one must
work, and harnessed the energy of the sun. With men under control, there
is no longer fear, crime, or violence. Ultimately, Ladyland is a world
made to mirror our own, a satirical exploration of the absolute power
wielded by men over women, and a political critique of Bengali society
at large. Sultana's Dream is more than a science fiction story; it is
an act of resistance made by a woman who would shape the lives of her
people through advocacy, education, and activism for generations to
come.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's
Rajmohan's Wife and Sultana's Dream is a classic of Bengali literature
and utopian science fiction reimagined for modern readers.
