Dr. Birinchi Kumar Barua’s Contribution to Assamese Literary Historiography

Finally to conclude, it would be relevant to refer to Andrew Sanders, a celebrated English historian of literature. He is of the view that importance laid on canonical works and authors often consigns many issues and personalities to marginality and in due course of time they are picked up from the periphery and silences are made to speak by way of transmuting new ideas. Such ‘discovery of neglected articulacy’ will certainly change the character of literary history. There is no point to contest Sanders’ views. We are also expecting such changes in literary historiography in the days to come. But B. K. Barua’s literary historiography is not going to lose its relevance. Emile Ligouis’ A short History of English Literature had remained in use for decades together since its first publication in 1934. But Andrew Sanders admits that his The Short Oxford History of English Literature was written targeting authors and issues left in the periphery and thereby to meet the imperfections of Ligouis’ work. It would be a great service to Assamese Literature if some literary historian of Assam follow the work of B.K.Barua and write a new history to address its imperfections.

Bibliography:

1.      Dr. Maheswar Neog : A Bibliography of the works of Birinchi  Kumar Barua, Bulletin of the department of Folklore Research, Gauhati University, 1994.

2. Dr. Kabin Phukan : Panditya Aru Alochanat Birinchi Kumar Barua, an article published in GARIOSHI, May, 2008.

3. Kamal Ch. Saikia : Birinchi Kumar Baruar Itihas Chinta Aru Samajtattik Bikshan, an article published in Birinchi Kumar Barua : Jeevan Aru Karma, edited by Prof. Somnath Bora.

4.       Dr. B. K. Barua : Asomiya Bhasa Aru Sanskriti, 1957

5.      Dr. B. K. Barua : Asomiya Katha Sahitya (purani bhag), 1950

6.      Dr. Maheswar Neog : Asomiya Sahityar Rooprekha.

7.      Dr. Sailen Bharali                       : Asomiya Bhasa Sahitya Aru Sanskriti, 1996

8.      Dr. Hiren Gohain                       :Kirtan Puthir Rasa Bichar

9.      Dr. B. K. Barua                          :History Of Assamese Literature, 2003.

10.  John Peck and Martin Coyle:   A Brief History of English Literature, Reprint, 2008, Palgrave