By Julian Das, Kolkata

The government of West Bengal has conferred its highest literary award on a Belgian Jesuit who created a new literary style in the Bengali language. State Higher Education Minister Sudarsan Roychowdhury presented the Bangla (Bengali) Academy award to Father Paul Detienne at a function in Kolkata, the state capital, on Dec. 10.

Father Detienne, 86, thanked Bengali readers for their interest in his writings. He said similar awards should go to many others who have contributed to the language but are not yet acknowledged.

Chinmoy Guha, who heads the English department in Calcutta University, described the Jesuit priest as one of the most beautiful prose writers in Bengali. Snehasis Sur, a Bengali writer, said Father Detienne was a master, combining French and Bengali literary styles. Even native Bengali people cannot reach the Jesuit priest’s literary standards, he said.

The award comprised a citation, a shawl, and Sanchayita, a collection of essays by Rabindranath Tagore.