আবদুল করিম সাহিত্যবিশারদের ঐতিহ্য-সাধনা | Contemplation of Abdul Karim Shahityavisarad on Tradition

Abstract

Works of Abdul Karim Shahityavisarad and his unique fame are at the center of Bengali literature and culture. Firstly, his devotion towards outlining a comprehensive history of Bengali literature, his collection of hundreds of manuscripts of Bengali works written by both Hindus and Muslim poets as well as his competent work in collating, editing and interpreting literary texts had been some of the most significant historic events in themselves; secondly, his numerous essays based on the primary source materials at his disposal had been invaluable in adding much to the repertoire of literary chronicles of Bengali literature in the pre-colonial period; thirdly, his sagacity, historical vision and unique expertise in editorial work on punthi manuscripts are testimonies to his genius and erudition. This article is a study of the various universe of Abdul Karim Shahityavisarad from a multi-dimensional point of view. In addition we place him in a comparative vein with other leading historians of Bangla language and literature, as well as comparable foreign figures such as Finland's Mikael Agricola, Elias Lönnrot, and Henrik Gabriel Porthan and Germany's Johann Gottfried von Herder, Immanuel Kant, and England's Bishop Thomas Percy. We firmly expose the way a Bengali genius made his mark in the study of oral traditions and the manner in which his work was appreciated worldwide.