Sultana's Dream

The author of “Sultana’s Dream” is Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, popularly known as Begum Rokeya (“Begum” is the Urdu equivalent of Mrs.). The story is a science fiction social satire that features a feminist utopia called Ladyland. As the title suggests, the narrative takes the form of a dream that the narrator experiences. The narrator is a woman called Sultana (the Arabic title for an empress or the wife of a sultan). The story was originally published in 1905 in The Indian Ladies’ Magazine, and later in book form in 1908. It is the first story by an Indian writer to feature a feminist utopia.

This guide refers to the version included in the 1988 edition of Sultana’s Dream and Selections from the Secluded Ones. Though this collection was edited and translated by Roushan Jahan, “Sultana’s Dream” was originally written in English.

One evening in Calcutta, Sultana falls asleep while thinking about the position of women in Indian society. In her dream, she sees a woman whom she mistakes for her friend, Sister Sara. When Sister Sara invites Sultana for a stroll in her garden, she hesitates. Then Sultana remembers the “pleasant walk[s]” and conversation she shared with her friend in Darjeeling.