What is the name of the author of the historical novel 'Durgesh Nandini' written in Bengali language?

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Correct — B, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay). Durgesh Nandini, published in 1865, was his literary debut and is conventionally regarded as the first true novel written in the Bengali language — a historical romance set against Mughal-Pathan conflict in 16th-century Bengal. It launched Bankim Chandra as Bengal's foremost novelist, a reputation he cemented later with Anandamath (1882), the work that gave India the song 'Vande Mataram.'

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Not associated with any established 19th-century Bengali historical novel; no major literary work titled Durgesh Nandini is credited to this name.  (c) Tagore was born in 1861 and so was only about four years old when Durgesh Nandini was published in 1865 — far too young to have written it; his own major novels (Gora, Chokher Bali) came decades later.  (d) A notable 19th-century Bengali poet remembered for patriotic verse, not the author of this historical novel.

Concept: Durgesh Nandini (1865) is treated as the first true novel in the Bengali language and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's literary debut — before it, Bengali prose fiction had not produced a full-length historical romance of this kind. It is set in 16th-century Bengal during Mughal-Pathan conflict, weaving a love story into a siege narrative.

State PCS 2024 Q61 — Art & Culture PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q61 — Art & Culture PYQ with Answer