Hana Catherine Mullens

Hana Catherine Mullens is credited by some with having written the first novel in the Bengali language, Phulmani O Karunar Bibaran (Description of Phulmani and Karuna), in 1852. There are other claimants to being earlier novels. Nababababubilas published by Bhabani Charan Bandopadhyay in 1825 is claimed as one by some but others think of it as being merely a story. Similar reservation has also been expressed about Phulmani O Karunar Bibaran.

Her father, Rev Francois Lacroix was a Swiss citizen who went to Chinsurah in India in 1821 to preach Christianity on behalf of the London Missionary Society. Hana learnt Bengali from the servants at home and at the age of 12 started teaching Bengali in a newly established school in Calcutta (now, Kolkata). In 1845, she was married to J. Mullens, who was also engaged in preaching Christianity in India. It was a period when Sanskrit was used for literary expressions, and Bengali was only a language of conversation.

Her first Bengali book Phulmani O Karunar Bibaran was written for native Christian women in 1852. The objective was to preach Christianity. This book was published six years before Peary Chand Mitra published his Alaler Gharer Dulal.

The first Bengali woman to write a novel was Swarnakumari Devi, with her Deepnirban in 1876.

Mullens wrote another book, The Missionary on the Ganges or What is Christianity, in both English and Bengali. She translated Daybreak in Britain into Bengali.