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The Essential Tagore
"The Essential Tagore "showcases the genius of India s Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel Laureate and possibly the most prolific and diverse serious writer the world has ever known.
Marking the 150th anniversary of Tagore s birth, this ambitious collection the largest single volume of his work available in English attempts to represent his extraordinary achievements in ten genres: poetry, songs, autobiographical works, letters, travel writings, prose, novels, short stories, humorous pieces, and plays. In addition to the newest translations in the modern idiom, it includes a sampling of works originally composed in English, his translations of his own works, three poems omitted from the published version of the English "Gitanjali," and examples of his artwork.
Tagore s writings are notable for their variety and innovation. His "Sonar Tari" signaled a distinctive turn toward the symbolic in Bengali poetry. The Lord of Life, from his collection "Chitra," created controversy around his very personal concept of religion. "Chokher Bali" marked a decisive moment in the history of the Bengali novel because of the way it delved into the minds of men and women. The skits in "Vyangakautuk" mocked upper-class pretensions. Prose pieces such as The Problem and the Cure were lauded by nationalists, who also sang Tagore s patriotic songs.
Translations for this volume were contributed by Tagore specialists and writers of international stature, including Amitav Ghosh, Amit Chaudhuri, and Sunetra Gupta."
Marking the 150th anniversary of Tagore s birth, this ambitious collection the largest single volume of his work available in English attempts to represent his extraordinary achievements in ten genres: poetry, songs, autobiographical works, letters, travel writings, prose, novels, short stories, humorous pieces, and plays. In addition to the newest translations in the modern idiom, it includes a sampling of works originally composed in English, his translations of his own works, three poems omitted from the published version of the English "Gitanjali," and examples of his artwork.
Tagore s writings are notable for their variety and innovation. His "Sonar Tari" signaled a distinctive turn toward the symbolic in Bengali poetry. The Lord of Life, from his collection "Chitra," created controversy around his very personal concept of religion. "Chokher Bali" marked a decisive moment in the history of the Bengali novel because of the way it delved into the minds of men and women. The skits in "Vyangakautuk" mocked upper-class pretensions. Prose pieces such as The Problem and the Cure were lauded by nationalists, who also sang Tagore s patriotic songs.
Translations for this volume were contributed by Tagore specialists and writers of international stature, including Amitav Ghosh, Amit Chaudhuri, and Sunetra Gupta."
855 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2011
32 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Rabindranath Tagore
2,574 books4,243 followersAwarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West."
Tagore modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic strictures. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics political and personal. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works, and his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed—or panned—for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla.
The complete works of Rabindranath Tagore (রবীন্দ্র রচনাবলী) in the original Bengali are now available at these third-party websites:
http://www.tagoreweb.in/
http://www.rabindra-rachanabali.nltr....
Tagore modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic strictures. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics political and personal. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works, and his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed—or panned—for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla.
The complete works of Rabindranath Tagore (রবীন্দ্র রচনাবলী) in the original Bengali are now available at these third-party websites:
http://www.tagoreweb.in/
http://www.rabindra-rachanabali.nltr....
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 12, 2023
Love Queries
Is it all true then?
My ever-fond one,
Is it true
That my lightning-bright glance
Causes your heart to blaze and thunder
Like a colliding cloud?
Is it true
That the sight of my sweet lips,
The reddening of my bride-shy cheeks
Spellbinds you, my ever-fond one?
Is it true
That you fnd the perennial mandar
Blooming in me forever?
That my ringing feet resound for you like the veena?
Is it all true?
Is it true
That the dew of night sheds at my sight?
That the dawn light makes all around me glow?
Is it true
That your head swoons at my touch?
That the very breeze seems intoxicated?
Is it all true
My ever-fond one?
Is it true
That day is eclipsed by my black tresses?
That my arms have locked yours till death?
Is it true
That the limits of your universe are my sari’s border?
That the world shushes at the sound of my voice
Is it true
That I encompass heaven, earth and the netherworld
That all three are totally devoted to me
Is it all true
My ever-fond one?
Is it true
That your love has been pursuing me for eons
Whirling all over the globe to home in me?
Is it true that my speech, glance, lips and tresses
Have caught your eyes eternally?
Is it true
That on my beautiful brow is writ for you
All the truths of the infnite?
Is it all true
My ever-fond one?
Is it all true then?
My ever-fond one,
Is it true
That my lightning-bright glance
Causes your heart to blaze and thunder
Like a colliding cloud?
Is it true
That the sight of my sweet lips,
The reddening of my bride-shy cheeks
Spellbinds you, my ever-fond one?
Is it true
That you fnd the perennial mandar
Blooming in me forever?
That my ringing feet resound for you like the veena?
Is it all true?
Is it true
That the dew of night sheds at my sight?
That the dawn light makes all around me glow?
Is it true
That your head swoons at my touch?
That the very breeze seems intoxicated?
Is it all true
My ever-fond one?
Is it true
That day is eclipsed by my black tresses?
That my arms have locked yours till death?
Is it true
That the limits of your universe are my sari’s border?
That the world shushes at the sound of my voice
Is it true
That I encompass heaven, earth and the netherworld
That all three are totally devoted to me
Is it all true
My ever-fond one?
Is it true
That your love has been pursuing me for eons
Whirling all over the globe to home in me?
Is it true that my speech, glance, lips and tresses
Have caught your eyes eternally?
Is it true
That on my beautiful brow is writ for you
All the truths of the infnite?
Is it all true
My ever-fond one?
July 16, 2024
Considering how prolific Tagore was you would need dozens of anthologies to summarise his work, so I guess the editors have done a good job in producing a wide-ranging sample of his published writing. Whilst he's well known for his poetry (and there's some excellent stuff here), the short stories and plays are little gems
January 9, 2020
Except the poetry. Everything else was well translated!!!
May 7, 2013
This prolific author is fascinating! There is one story that stays with me more than others "The punishment" About an Indian man who accuses his wife of a murder, only because he wants to save his brother. The key of the story is that he loves his wife with all his heart, but when he has to make a decision in a split second, all the education behind him charges its toll: "a woman is disposable, a brother isn't". It is so horrible to think that the young men of that book were educated in such a way that they can sacrifice their wives because they are just disposable items. But as horrible as that is the punishment that the poor guy has to endure for following the precepts of his own education...
January 19, 2022
A. Very. Thick. Book. (855 pages.) And I dipped. Read some of the short stories that were the basis of a Netflix series. In Hindi. Set in Bengal. (Don’t ask.) I want to rate them a 4.5 in terms of my enjoyment, but, come on. It’s Tagore.
October 19, 2019
This tome contains Tagore's letters, essays, poems, short stories and plays. I only read the essays, but they were truly sublime, with so many rich metaphors conveying deep truths.
"To the fledging bird flight in the sky may appear incredible. They may with apparent reason measure the highest limit of their possibilities by the limited standard of their nests. But, in the meanwhile, they find that their food is not grown inside those nests, it is brought to them across the measureless blue. There is a silent voice that speaks to them, that they are more than what they are, and that they must not laugh at the message of soaring wings and glad songs of freedom."
"A block of stone is unplastic, insensitive, inert, it offers resistance to the creative ideas of the artist. But for a sculptor its very obstacles are an advantage and he carves his image out of it. Our physical existence is an obstacle to our spirit, it has every aspect of a bondage, and to all appearance it is a perpetual humiliation to our soul. And therefore it is the best material for our soul to manifest herself through it, to proclaim her freedom by fashioning her ornaments out of her fetters. The limitations of our outer circumstances are only to give opportunities to our soul, and by being able to defy them she realises her truth."
"Our life, like a river, strikes its banks not to find itself closed in by them, but to realise anew every moment that it has its unending opening towards the sea. The boundary walls of our individuality thrust us back within our limits, on the one hand, and thus lead us, on the other, to the unlimited. Only when we try to make these limits infinite are we launched into an impossible contradiction and court miserable failure."
"To the fledging bird flight in the sky may appear incredible. They may with apparent reason measure the highest limit of their possibilities by the limited standard of their nests. But, in the meanwhile, they find that their food is not grown inside those nests, it is brought to them across the measureless blue. There is a silent voice that speaks to them, that they are more than what they are, and that they must not laugh at the message of soaring wings and glad songs of freedom."
"A block of stone is unplastic, insensitive, inert, it offers resistance to the creative ideas of the artist. But for a sculptor its very obstacles are an advantage and he carves his image out of it. Our physical existence is an obstacle to our spirit, it has every aspect of a bondage, and to all appearance it is a perpetual humiliation to our soul. And therefore it is the best material for our soul to manifest herself through it, to proclaim her freedom by fashioning her ornaments out of her fetters. The limitations of our outer circumstances are only to give opportunities to our soul, and by being able to defy them she realises her truth."
"Our life, like a river, strikes its banks not to find itself closed in by them, but to realise anew every moment that it has its unending opening towards the sea. The boundary walls of our individuality thrust us back within our limits, on the one hand, and thus lead us, on the other, to the unlimited. Only when we try to make these limits infinite are we launched into an impossible contradiction and court miserable failure."
March 17, 2023
I have read a number of short stories and novels as well as a few poems of Rabindranath Tagore - both in Bengali and English, witnessed his plays (especially a dance dramas) being enacted on stage as well as recorded and live renditions of Rabindra Sangeet in Bengali. However, this book edited by Fakhrul Alam and Radha Chakravarty provided to me a more accurate sense of Rabindranath Tagore through new translations, anthologies of work, critical studies and biographies. It especially gave an insight into Tagore’s evolution - his personality, writing style, world view etc and therefore a more holistic view of him as a person than I earlier had. However, this also brought out the fact that very often, especially in poetry and songs, the sharpness of a composition is lost in translation (even of the same has been done by the author himself). At the cost of sounding parochial, there is no substitute for reading Tagore’s works in Bengali!
February 16, 2019
This book carries very deep and philosophical meanings between its lines. Tagore’s short stories are amazing and they are somehow to force reading them. Tagore will be forever remembered for his inspiration on the world literature.. I definitely recommend this book!
October 11, 2021
Having never read Tagore before this book is a very good way to start. A varied collection of Tagore's work.
July 2, 2014
Great translations.
Read
February 26, 2016891.44 T1282e 2014
April 18, 2017
A fine, inclusive collection.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews