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a near relative of Srimati Svarna Kumari Devi, the authoress of the present work, I feel somewhat handicapped in my task of supplementing the introduction already so kindly and ably written by an English lady for her recently published English translation, "An Unﬁnished Song." I shall, therefore, conﬁne myself to a few general remarks and let the readers judge for themselves.

The authoress, my aunt, is the ﬁrst lady-writer in Modern Bengal, and is very well known here through her numerous literary activities. While yet in her teens, she commenced her literary career, which she has pursued throughout her life with unﬂagging zeal and devotion. The following Press comments of the time upon some of her earliest productions will speak for themselves.

The Calcutta Review of 1880 said about her ﬁrst novel, "Dipnirvan":

"We have no hesitation in pronouncing this book to be by far the best that has yet