Literature Library author

Mahasweta Devi

A concise guide to Mahasweta Devi's body of work, major titles, and recurring themes.

IB PRL recommended author
Languages
Bengali/Bangla
Regions / countries
India
Forms
Prose: fiction
Indexed works
2

Author overview

Mahasweta Devi (1926–2016) was a novelist, poet, and short story writer whose body of work spans fiction. This writing is in Bengali/Bangla and associated with India. Major works and useful reading starting points include Breast Stories, Mother of 1084, and Hajar Churashir Maa. Key themes include The body as labor, evidence, and battleground, Resistance without comforting resolution, and Myth, motherhood, and public stories.

Reading pathway

Begin with Breast Stories, then move to Mother of 1084.

Representative starting points

Breast Stories

Three stories—Draupadi, Breast-Giver, and Behind the Bodice—show women confronting state violence, domestic exploitation, poverty, and the public consumption of their bodies.

These are Literature Library reading suggestions by an IB PRL author, not titles prescribed by the IB.

All published guides by this author

Biography, authority, and bibliography sources

This independent author guide supports reading and discussion. Curriculum badges show useful AP or IB connections without making this an official AP or IB publication.