Rajmohan's Wife and Sultana's Dream

Rajmohans Wife and Sultanas Dream (1864/1908) features the debut novel of Indian writer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and a story by Bengali writer, feminist, and educator Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain. Rajmohans Wife, Chattopadhyays only work in English, launched his career as a leading Bengali intellectual and political figure. Written in English, Sultanas Dream originated as a way of passing time for its young author while her husband was away on work. Initially published in The Indian Ladies Magazine, Sultanas Dream helped establish Rokeyas reputation as a leading figure in Bengali arts and culture. Rajmohans Wife is the story of Matangini, a beautiful woman married to a violent, jealous man. Unable to marry the man she loveswho happens to be her own sisters husbandshe settles for the villainous Rajmohan, an abusive man who rules his middle-class Bengali household with an iron fist. With the help of her friend Kanak, Matangini does her best to avoid her husbands wrath, illuminating the importance of solidarity among women faced with oppression. Vindictive and cruel, Rajmohan secretly enacts a plan to rob Madhav, his brother-in-law, in order to obtain and invalidate a will. Sultanas Dream is set in Ladyland is a feminist utopia ruled by women, a perfect civilization with no need for men, who remain secluded and without power. Free to develop their own society, women have invented flying cars, perfected farming to the point where no one must work, and harnessed the energy of the sun. With men under control, there is no longer fear, crime, or violence. Ultimately, Ladyland is a world made to mirror our own, a satirical exploration of the absolute power wielded by men over women, and a political critique of Bengali society at large. Sultanas Dream is more than a science fiction story; it is an act of resistance made by a woman who would shape the lives of her people through advocacy, education, and activism for generations to come. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Rokeya Sakhawat Hossains Rajmohans Wife and Sultanas Dream is a classic of Bengali literature and utopian science fiction reimagined for modern readers.