Essay
বিশ্বনবী
Not translated into English
Golam Mostafa · 1942
Synopsis
A life of the prophet of Islam, written in Bengali. The book opens on pre-revelation Arabia, given over to tribal wars, murder and the abandonment of newborn girls, then follows Muhammad from his birth to his preaching and the establishment of the new faith, in a prose as cadenced as verse, in which the author lets his fervour speak.
Context
A poet before being a prose writer, the author gave in 1942 this life of the Prophet, written in prose but with a cadence close to verse, and charged with an emotion that his admirers hold to be rare in Bengali letters; its title means the Prophet of the world. The book is read aloud at milad gatherings, and is still reissued, today by Ahmad Publishing House.
Who it is for
A life of devotion rather than a critical biography, in rhythmic prose made for the ear.
Prizes and reception
The book that earned its author wide recognition, regarded as the best of his entire body of work.