Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995) was a celebrated Bengali novelist and short story writer renowned for her powerful portrayal of women’s lives in traditional Indian society. Largely self-educated, she wrote over 200 novels and numerous short stories. Her acclaimed trilogy, Pratham Pratisruti, Subarnalata, and Bakul Katha, earned her the Jnanpith Award. She also received the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan. The Sahitya Akademi conferred its highest honour, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, upon her in 1994. She passed away in 1995.