Bengali Queer Literature (Bengali: সমকামী ও রূপান্তরকামী সংক্রান্ত বাংলা সাহিত্য), also known as Bengali LGBTQ Literature,[1] is a collective term for literature produced by or for the LGBTQ community in Bengali language. This is one of the least explored topics and an emerging field of Bengali literature.
Indira (1873), a Bengali novel written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, is frequently recognized as a pioneering work of queer literature in India. Indira and Subhashini, the protagonists, were seen in the novel as having a passionate and potentially lesbian relationship.[2] However, Krishnagopal Mallick's Byuhaprabesh (Entering the Maze) was first time created a unique stir in Bengali queer literature.[3][4]
Later, the problems, ups and downs, and continuity of queer life can be understood in Bengali novels of Nabanita Dev Sen's Bamabodhini (1997),[5]Kamal Chakraborty's Brahma Bhargab Puran (2011),[6]Tilottama Majumder's Chander Gaye Chand (2013) and Swapnamay Chakraborty's Holde Golap (2015).[7][8]
Manabi Bandyopadhyay,[9] In her autobiography Amar Arjita Naritwa (2019) recounts her journey of transformation from man to woman with excellent literary skill. Taslima Nasrin's essay book, Lingasutra, chronicles the lives of Bangladeshilesbian, gay and transgender people.[10][11]Avijit Roy wrote Samakamita (2012), which is one of the most well-known books on essay-based Bengali queer literature.[12][13]
