Devi, Maitreyi (1914–1990)

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Devi, Maitreyi (1914–1990)

Indian poet and social worker. Born Maitreyi Dasgupta, 1914, in Calcutta, India; died 1990; dau. of Surendranath Dasgupta (Hindu professor and philosopher).

Bengali poet and lecturer, had a liberal education provided by father; when Mircea Eliade came to Calcutta to study with him (1930), had her 1st romance, and Eliade was banished from the home; translated her novel, Na Hanyate (1974), into English as It Does Not Die (1974), which was her response to Eliade's Bengal Nights, a novel he had written about their encounter; other works include 4 vols. of poetry as well as books on travel, philosophy, and social reform; also wrote 8 books on the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore; founded the Council for the Promotion of Communal Harmony (1964) and was vice president of the All-India Women's Coordinating Council. Awards include Tagore Medallion (1961) and Soviet Desh Jawaharlal Nehru Prize (1968).

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Devi, Maitreyi (1914–1990)

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