Bengal Nights
Forbidden Passions in Colonial Calcutta
by Mircea EliadeMaitreyi (Maitreyi)
About This Book
Bengal Nights sweeps readers into the sultry, mysterious world of 1930s Calcutta, where cultures collide and boundaries blur. When a young European intellectual finds himself entranced by the enigmatic Maitreyi, their initial encounter is fraught with bewilderment and fascination—an attraction made perilous by the rigid customs and prejudices of colonial India. Through a haze of sensual detail and introspective longing, the novel explores the intoxicating thrill and inevitable anguish of forbidden love. Mircea Eliade’s evocative prose immerses you in the charged atmosphere of a city alive with tradition and change, where every stolen glance promises both ecstasy and heartbreak.
Chapters
First Glimpses
Allan recalls his first encounters with Maitreyi, describing his initial impressions, his life in India.
Solitude by the River
Allan reflects on his solitude by the river, receives a sudden promotion from Narendra Sen, and navigates awkward social encounters.
Jungle Awakening
Allan battles isolation, monsoon rains, and illness while working on railway construction in Assam, eventually falling seriously ill and being hospitalized.
Characters
Maitreyi
The daughter of engineer Narendra Sen, Maitreyi is the central female figure of the novel, whose mysterious beauty and presence captivate the narrator.
Mrs. Sen
Mrs. Sen, also known as Srimati Devi Indira, is Narendra Sen's wife and Maitreyi's mother, depicted as youthful and timid, with limited English proficiency.
Mr. Sen
Mr. Sen (also referred to as Sen, baba, or babà) is the Indian engineer and head of the household where Allan is staying; he is Maitreyi's father and Allan's superior, whose approval is crucial for Maitreyi's engagement.
Allan
Allan is the narrator and protagonist, a European engineer working in India; he is based on Mircea Eliade, the Romanian intellectual whose experiences and feelings form the core of the novel.
Chabii
Chabii (also spelled Chabù) is the younger daughter of Narendra Sen, about ten or eleven years old, described as lively and resembling a gypsy girl; she is also referred to as Khokha’s sister and a widow, timid and overworked.
Khokha
A young man, a poor relative of the engineer, who stays in the house during Mantu's wedding and entertains with jokes.
About the Author
1907–1986
Mircea Eliade (1907–1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, philosopher, and prolific writer. Born in Bucharest, Eliade displayed an early interest in literature and the history of religions, pursuing his studies at the University of Bucharest. In the late 1920s, he traveled to India to study Sanskrit and Indian philosophy at the University of Calcutta under Surendranath Dasgupta, an experience that profoundly influenced his intellectual development. Returning to Romania, Eliade embarked on a distinguished academic and literary career. After World War II, he lived in exile in France and later the United States, ultimately becoming a professor at the University of Chicago, where he established himself as a leading scholar in the study of religion.
Preview
I have hesitated so long before this notebook, because I have not yet managed to discover the exact day when I first met Maitreyi. In my notes from that year, I found nothing. Her name appears there much later, after I had left the sanatorium and had to move into the house of engineer Narendra Sen, in the Bhowanipore district. But that happened in 1929, and I had met Maitreyi at least ten months before that. And if I suffer somewhat as I begin this story, it is precisely because I do not know how to evoke her figure as she was then, and I cannot truly relive my astonishment, uncertainty, and the confusion of those first encounters. I remember very vaguely that, seeing her once in the car, waiting in front of the "Oxford Book Stationary"—while her father, the engineer, and I were choosing books for the Christmas holidays—I felt a strange start, followed by a very surprising disdain. She seemed ugly to me—with her eyes too large and too black, her fleshy, turned lips, her strong breasts, like those of a Bengali maiden grown too full, like a fruit past its ripeness. When I was introduced to her and she brought her palms to her forehead in greeting, I suddenly saw her whole bare arm, a
Places and Terms in this Book
Bhowanipore— A district in Calcutta (now Kolkata), known for its residential neighborhoods and Bengali culture.
Tagore— Rabindranath Tagore, also known as Robi Thakkur in Bengali, is a renowned Bengali poet, philosopher, and Nobel laureate, admired by Maitreyi and her family.
Calcutta— A major city in eastern India, known today as Kolkata, and the primary setting of the novel.
Bengal— A region in eastern India, known for its distinct culture, language, and landscape.
Bengali— The language spoken by the Sen family and many in Calcutta; also refers to the culture of Bengal.
Ganges— A sacred river in India, central to Hindu religious practices.
Vocabulary
sari— A traditional Indian garment for women, consisting of a long piece of cloth draped around the body.
veranda— A roofed, open-air porch attached to a house, common in Indian homes.
rupee— The rupee is the currency of India, referenced in both singular and plural forms throughout the novel.
pan— A preparation of betel leaf with areca nut and sometimes tobacco, chewed for its stimulant effects and often reddening the lips.
shawl— A piece of fabric worn over the shoulders or head, commonly used in Indian attire.
Eurasian— A person of mixed European and Asian (usually Indian) descent, often occupying a distinct social position in colonial society.