Broken Nest and other Stories

by Sharmistha Mohanty

This selection of Rabindranath Tagore's stories exemplifies his remarkable ability to enter the complexities of human relationships. Within seemingly simple plots, Tagore portrays with extraordinary compassion and lyricism the predicament of women in traditional Bengali contexts, moving from the loneliness of an intelligent,beautiful woman neglected by her husband in the Nobel Laureate's acclaimed novella 'Broken Nest', to the powerlessness of a young girl whose prized possession is taken away in 'Notebook", from the casual abandonment of an orphan in 'Post master', to a girl robbed of her childhood in 'The Ghat's Tale'. Powerful, brilliant and astute, the novella and three short stories included in this collection - translated here by acclaimed fiction writer Sharmistha Mohanty, who has brought into English the music of Tagore's narrative - are Tagore's finest prose works

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 22, 2012

Reviews

[Vani Kaushal · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are four stories in this collection, each story capturing the zeitgeist through its female characters and mundane realities of their lives. These stories belong to those times when men were the main bread winners of their families which allowed them to move out of the house, for work, for education, while their women tended to families. Each story encapsulates the agonies, struggles and dilemmas of these young women (in some cases child brides), who were left behind and how they coped with their inner conflicts. The writer wonderfully juxtaposes movement against stasis, freedom against restraint, speech against silence. Whether it is the story of a girl bound by duty to her husband unable to tell her brother-in-law how much she misses (or loves) him in ‘The Broken Nest’, or a girl whose husband does not want her to study and how she must comply with his wishes. Whether it is an orphan girl abandoned to her misery by her master or the strange predicament of a child bride abandoned by her ascetic husband. The stories evoke such pathos as to leave the readers feeling the pain, misery and helplessness of these characters and through them, of the women who lived in those times.

[Itsss_a_nerdy_thing · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a reason why Rabindranath Tagore is called the SHAKESPEARE of India , and this four stories definitely proof that . The translation of the book is accurately done , not only the meaning of the text but the essence of the stories is retained . The stories are emotional, toughing and strengthening . Must read them !

[Arun Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart wrenching stories.. quite good reflection of those times (harder times for women) and a wonderful translation.

[BrieflyGorgeous · Rating 4 out of 5]

there were 3 short stories. i cried 3 times

[RiriSubs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to read Tagore. The prose is scattered for my contemporary tastes. Not my tea