Folk Tales of Bengal: Life’s Secret (1883) is a collection of stories by Lal Behari Dey. Inspired by the stories told to him by village elders in his boyhood, Lal Behari Dey wrote Folk Tales of Bengal: Life’s Secret in order to portray the lives and traditions of Bengali peasants in a positive, human light. Praised by Charles Darwin for his novel Govinda Samanta: Or the History of a Bengal Raiyat, Lal Behari Dey was awarded a substantial prize for his literary achievements by a prominent Bengali zamindar, cementing his reputation as a pioneering figure in Bengali literature. “I have reason to believe that the stories given in this book are a genuine sample of the old old stories told by old Bengali women from age to age through a hundred generations.” With this certificate of authenticity, Lal Behari Dey presents the stories of his youth in Bengal, stories of kings and queens, gods and monsters, of rich and poor and everything in between. In “Life’s Secret,” he tells the tale of Suo, a beautiful queen who has been unable to give birth to a son for her impatient, powerful husband. Just as she is ready to give in to despair, a mysterious healer presents her with a magical drug that will grant her the fertility she seeks. In “Phakir Chand,” two young friends on a journey to a foreign land encounter a princess held captive by a terrifying serpent. Saving her, they agree to remain at her palace, but only one of them can take her hand in marriage. Charming, instructive, and often surprising, Folk Tales of Bengal: Life’s Secret is an underappreciated masterpiece of Bengali literature from Lal Behari Dey. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lal Behari Dey’s Folk Tales of Bengal: Life’s Secret is a classic work of Bengali literature reimagined for modern readers.

Govinda Samanta: Or the History of a Bengal Raiyat (1874) is a novel by Lal Behari Dey. Inspired by a lifetime dedicated to serving the poor and oppressed, Lal Behari Dey wrote Govinda Samanta in order to portray the life of Bengali peasants in a positive, human light. Praised by Charles Darwin, awarded a substantial prize by a prominent Bengali zamindar, Lal Behari’s novel is a masterpiece of Bengali literature. “It was considerably past midnight one morning in the sultry month of April, when a human figure was seen moving in a street of Kánchanpur, a village about six miles to the north-east of the town of Vardahamána, or Burdwán. There was no moon in the heavens, as she had already disappeared behind the trees on the western skirts of the village...” After introducing his novel with a brief warning to readers, Lal Behari opens his story with a beautiful description of village life in Bengal. In episodic fashion, he follows one “human figure” after another, each of them enriching his description of his native land. Centered on the raiyat boy Govinda, the story follows the journey from innocence to experience of a youth shaped by the stories and traditions of his village. Opposed to flowery language and romanticism, he hopes to tell “a plain and unvarnished tale of a plain peasant, living in this plain country of Bengal.” Praised upon publication, Govinda Samanta: Or the History of a Bengal Raiyat is a compelling and understated narrative of working-class life from an author who dedicated his own life to serving the poor. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lal Behari Dey’s Govinda Samanta: Or the History of a Bengal Raiyat is a classic work of Bengali literature reimagined for modern readers.