Podziwiane, pożądane, pogardzane – portret tawaif na tle epoki w pseudopamiętnikarskiej powieści "Umrao Dźan Ada" Mirzy Ruswy

Abstract

The pseudo-memoir novel “Umrao Jaan Ada”, created in the late 19th century by the North Indian writer Mirza Muhammad Hadi Rusva was an extraordinary phenomenon against the background of the then literature of the subcontinent – not only because of its undeniable artistic qualities, but also thanks to the fact that it offers several different possibilities of interpretation to the readers and researchers. “Umrao Jaan Ada” can be classified, among others, as a combination of autobiographical and biographical novel, a classical “Bildungsroman”, a novel focused on the gender perspective, or the first realistic novel written in Urdu – and interpreted in a manner appropriate to each of these types, using the methods developed in such fields as sociology, psychology, history, literary science or gender studies. However, regardless of whether we treat the text of the novel as a historical source, an extensive interview, a memoir or a case study – it provides us with enormous factual material on the life and functioning of an exceptional social group, comprised of well educated and very influential courtesans (“tawaifs”), in 19th century North India . For decades their activities constituted the cultural foundations of the Islamicate elites in South Asia. On the basis of colourful and faithful descriptions and information provided by Ruswa on the pages of his novel, we can now reconstruct this unique cultural tradition in its spiritual, material and social aspects.