History of Gujarati Literature (An Old and Rare Book )

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This volume is one of the series of standard Histories of Indian Literature sponsored by Sahitya Skademi to enable readers all over India to share in common the wealth and variety of Indian Literature written in any language.

In this volume the author has given all the necessary information regarding history of literature in Gujarati, which is one of the major languages of India.

The author of this volume, Shri Mansukhlal Jhaveri, is an eminent writer, poet and critic in Gujarati language and is presently Visiting Professor of Gujarati, Unviersity of Bombay.

Since, as required by the Sahitya Akademi, this History is primarily intended for readers who have no direct access to Gujarati Literature, I have tried, as best as I could, not to make it a catalogue of names nor to burden it with unnecessary details and elaborate criticism. I have tried also to keep myself within the bounds of well-established facts and avoid making any statement that is based on controversial data or touching anything that would be of exclusive interest only to the advanced scholars of Gujarati Literature. That is why readers will not find here those stories about Premanand's life which are based on the Akhyanas of Vallabh, whose very existence is controversial. Nor will they find here discussion of the dates of our mediaeval poets or of topics like the sudden flaring up of the flame of Bhakti in Narasimha Mehta.

I have treated all authors, simply as Gujarati authors, with-out attaching any importance whatsoever to their caste, creed, sex or religion.

I have, in mind all through, a reader of high literary and cultural interests, whose mother-tongue is not Gujarati, who may be an Indian or even a foreigner and who would like to have a broad comprehensive idea of the growth and development of Gujarati Literature from its beginning to the present day. I have only traced the main trends of the post-1955 Literature, as it is rather too early to view them, at this stage, in their proper perspective.

I have made ample use of my own articles published earlier on authors, books, forms and trends; and of my An Outline of the History of Gujarati Literature, written in Gujarati in collaboration with Dr. Ramanlal C. Shah.

I have also drawn heavily upon the work of other writers like K. M. Jhaveri, K. M. Munshi, Anantrai Raval, Dhirubhai Thaker, Sundaram, Jayant Pathak, Raghuvir Chaudhari, Anirudhdha Brahmabhatt, Ushanas, and Chandrakant Topiwalla, in particular; and for this, my most sincere thanks are due to them.

I am also thankful to Prof. Anantrai Raval, Dr. Chimanlal Trivedi, Shri Mukund Parasharya, Dr. Bhogilal Sandesara, and Dr. Suresh Dalal for supplying me with information on certain specific points.

I am grateful to Professor Vishnuprasad Trivedi and Slid Gulabdas Broker, who have gone through this book and offered me some valuable suggestions.

I am grateful, also to the Sahitya Akademi for entrusting me with this work, which I consider a great privilege, and for putting up with my delay in submitting the manuscript.

All translations of Gujarati quotations, unless otherwise acknowledged, are done by me.

**Contents and Sample Pages**