Novel
Ocean of Sorrow
বিষাদ-সিন্ধু
Mir Mosharraf Hossain · 1885
Synopsis
In Damascus, Yazid, son of the caliph Muawiya, enters into conflict with the Muslims of Medina and with the Prophet's grandsons, Hassan and Hussein, whose authority he wants to destroy. Plots, ruses and betrayals follow one another, and the novel follows step by step the road that leads Hussein, his family and a handful of companions to the plain of Karbala, in the month of Muharram, facing Yazid's troops.
Context
Published in three parts, Muharram in May 1885, Uddhar in August 1887 and Yazid-badh in March 1891, the work claims in its preface to be based on Persian and Arabic chronicles, but treats history freely; scholars recognise in it the influence of the Persian and Urdu accounts of Karbala widespread in India. It is written in sadhu bhasha, the learned, Sanskritised form of Bengali. Fakrul Alam translated it into English for the Bangla Academy in 2016.
Who it is for
More than five hundred pages in the current Bengali edition, in a learned language, with many characters; it is better to know the family of the Prophet.
Prizes and reception
The masterpiece of its author, one of the most widely read and best loved books of the region, and the source of popular songs, the jari gaan.