He: (Shey)

by Aparna Chaudhuri (Tr.)

Tagore wrote Shey to satisfy his nine year old granddaughter's demands for stories. Even as Tagre began to create his fantasy, he planned a story that had no end, and to keep the tales spinning he employed the help of 'Shey', a "man constituted entirely of words" and rather talented at concoting tall tales. So we enter the world of Shey's extraordinary adventures, encountering a bizarre cast of characters, grotesque creatures and caricatures of contemporary figures and events as well as mythological heroes and deities - all brought to life through a sparkling play of words and illustrations in Tagore's unique style.

Genres: Fiction, Indian Literature, Literary Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

Reviews

[Harun Ahmed]

ঠিক এই ধরনের লেখার জন্যই বলা হয় যে, রবীন্দ্রনাথ প্রকৃতপক্ষে শিশুদের জন্য লিখতে পারতেন না। পুরো বই-ই আজগুবি ঘটনা ও রটনায় পরিপূর্ণ অথচ শেষটা কি সাংঘাতিক হৃদয় বিদারক!

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You were there, so was Sukumar. Darkness fell, the lamps on the streets were lit, and I sat there making up stories of the Age of Truth for you.’
‘Making up stories! That means you were turning it into the Age of Falsehood!’
‘Don’t call them false. A ray of light that has crossed the limits of violet can’t be seen; but you can’t say it doesn’t exist— it’s just as much light. It’s in that ultraviolet glow of history that man has created his Age of Truth. I wouldn’t call it prehistoric— rather, it is ultra-historic.’

[Syd Wachs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love nonsense stories, but the ones he told as Pupu-Didi got older lost me. I prefer the ones from when she was little!

[Sadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

No head, no "tale". Yet such fun to read🤌🏻

[Charanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such nonsense, I love!
Tagore's Shey is not about transporting the reader to a wonderland extraordinaire but about a rapturous journey into the human spirit.

[Hollis Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange but very enjoyable to read.

[Jesan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ফ্যান্টাসি লেখার চেষ্টা ছিল।দুঃখিত কিছু বুঝে পাইনি