BADI-UZ-ZAMAN'S 'DEATH OF A RAT'. FIRST FANTASY NOVEL IN THE HINDI LANGUAGE ('Smierc pewnego szczura' Badi-uz-zamana. Pierwsza powiesc fantastyczna w jezyku hindi)

The aim of this article is to present Badi-uz-zaman's novel 'The Death of a Rat' which is usually referred to as the first fantasy novel in the Hindi language. The analysis revolves around the innovative elements of style and topic introduced by Badi-uz-zaman in his work. The introductory part of the article sheds light on basic facts regarding the work of Badi-uz-zaman, the language used by him and the portrayal of characters. This section is followed by a brief summary of the content of the book. The essential part of the analysis is focused on the peculiar fantasy features of the book, such as fantastic events, depiction of characters, mysterious places and items, metamorphosis of the protagonist and the motif of a rat. The article concludes with some remarks of a few noted critics of Hindi literature concerning the analysis and interpretation of this novel.