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Obras de Rabindranath Tagore: Mashi y Otros Cuentos (Classic Reprint)
Excerpt from Obras de Rabindranath Tagore: Mashi y Otros Cuentos
Tengo que advertir que en esto se faltaba lijeramente a la verdad, por no decir otra cosa. Lo que en realidad hablaron Mashi y Mani fu� esto.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Tengo que advertir que en esto se faltaba lijeramente a la verdad, por no decir otra cosa. Lo que en realidad hablaron Mashi y Mani fu� esto.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
167 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1988
73 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Rabindranath Tagore
2,575 books4,244 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 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 8, 2024
In a Nutshell: A good collection of Tagore’s works, but the translation could have been better. A nice option for readers of character-oriented short fiction who are interested in Indian non-mythology classics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rabindranath Tagore is, to date, the only Indian winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was a skilled poet and novelist, but his short fiction was a cut above the rest. The fourteen short stories in this collection were originally written in Bengali, and translated to English by various writers.
The biggest plus of this collection is seeing the strong command that Tagore has over his narrative. His stories don’t go the way we want or the way a typical happy-ending tale should proceed. Rather, he takes each story where he wants and stops, whether the ending is complete or not, whether the characters are happy or not, whether the readers get closure or not. This could go either way for a reader, but to those accustomed to literary fiction and slice of life stories, this kind of writing won’t present a big hurdle.
The main hurdle in enjoying this collection to the fullest is the shoddy translation, or rather, the lack of uniformity in the translation. As various writers have worked on the individual stories, there is no consistency to the writing or the vocabulary. Some stories are needlessly verbose while a few are too simple to seem like Tagore's work. Some use formal language while others are almost jargonistic. Some explain terms while others assume that the readers are knowledgeable enough. A couple of the stories break the fourth wall for no rhyme or reason. All this makes for an uneven experience, as some stories don’t hold up to the potential. Of course, this flaw is not to be assigned to Tagore’s writing.
Despite the mixed translation, the stories offers a comprehensive study of human behaviour. All the main narrators are flawed male protagonists who miss the obvious and jump to conclusions. The women’s role are somewhat limited to their being docile and sweet though there are some worthy exceptions as well.
The stories might have been contemporary in their time, but to a reader of 2024 and familiar with the country, the stories are clearly historical, with many of these issues no longer that prevalent at least in urban areas. However, human emotions and reactions don’t change with eras. The response of the characters to their circumstances is still realistic, though a tad melodramatic. The setting is Bengal, as is the case with Tagore’s works.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the fourteen stories, four stories touched the four-star mark while most of the rest hovered around three stars. I am sure the performance would have been better had I read this a couple of decades ago and had the translation been better. These were my top favourites:
Recommended to short fiction readers who would be interested in trying a classic Indian work. Do keep in mind the era the stories were written in. This isn’t the best way to get introduced to Tagore’s work, but it is a start. I am sure it would have been better if read in the original Bangla.
3.2 stars, based on the average of my ratings for the stories.
As this book is in the public domain, you can read it online for free. I borrowed my copy from archive.org using the below link. This edition has proper footnotes for the trickier words, so it is a great option for those unfamiliar with Tagore’s world.
https://archive.org/details/dli.minis...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rabindranath Tagore is, to date, the only Indian winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was a skilled poet and novelist, but his short fiction was a cut above the rest. The fourteen short stories in this collection were originally written in Bengali, and translated to English by various writers.
The biggest plus of this collection is seeing the strong command that Tagore has over his narrative. His stories don’t go the way we want or the way a typical happy-ending tale should proceed. Rather, he takes each story where he wants and stops, whether the ending is complete or not, whether the characters are happy or not, whether the readers get closure or not. This could go either way for a reader, but to those accustomed to literary fiction and slice of life stories, this kind of writing won’t present a big hurdle.
The main hurdle in enjoying this collection to the fullest is the shoddy translation, or rather, the lack of uniformity in the translation. As various writers have worked on the individual stories, there is no consistency to the writing or the vocabulary. Some stories are needlessly verbose while a few are too simple to seem like Tagore's work. Some use formal language while others are almost jargonistic. Some explain terms while others assume that the readers are knowledgeable enough. A couple of the stories break the fourth wall for no rhyme or reason. All this makes for an uneven experience, as some stories don’t hold up to the potential. Of course, this flaw is not to be assigned to Tagore’s writing.
Despite the mixed translation, the stories offers a comprehensive study of human behaviour. All the main narrators are flawed male protagonists who miss the obvious and jump to conclusions. The women’s role are somewhat limited to their being docile and sweet though there are some worthy exceptions as well.
The stories might have been contemporary in their time, but to a reader of 2024 and familiar with the country, the stories are clearly historical, with many of these issues no longer that prevalent at least in urban areas. However, human emotions and reactions don’t change with eras. The response of the characters to their circumstances is still realistic, though a tad melodramatic. The setting is Bengal, as is the case with Tagore’s works.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the fourteen stories, four stories touched the four-star mark while most of the rest hovered around three stars. I am sure the performance would have been better had I read this a couple of decades ago and had the translation been better. These were my top favourites:
🦚 Mashi - At a time when child marriage was fairly common, it's easy to sympathise with the young bride. This story makes us question some of our assumptions. Wish there was more detailing at the end, otherwise a great work. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🦚 The Auspicious Vision - Hasn't aged that well, but for the time it was written in, it's a good story. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🦚 The Trust Property - When you allow ego to dominate your decisions, the result can be disaster. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🦚 The Postmaster - I've read this before and it was a treat to read it again. This is an excellent reflection on how humans interpret the same situation differently. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Recommended to short fiction readers who would be interested in trying a classic Indian work. Do keep in mind the era the stories were written in. This isn’t the best way to get introduced to Tagore’s work, but it is a start. I am sure it would have been better if read in the original Bangla.
3.2 stars, based on the average of my ratings for the stories.
As this book is in the public domain, you can read it online for free. I borrowed my copy from archive.org using the below link. This edition has proper footnotes for the trickier words, so it is a great option for those unfamiliar with Tagore’s world.
https://archive.org/details/dli.minis...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
May 10, 2022
Amazing collection of short stories by Tagore. Each story is touched by death in one way or the other; some sublty, others not so. I liked the endings of most of the stories, and the last one especially was witty and amusing at the same time.
September 29, 2019
Mashi and other stories is an anthology of several short, short stories centered around what we can only imagine used to be Tagore’s own views of Bengal. Indeed, many of the stories seem to share the same geographical features, down to the banks of the Ganges, the backdrop of an idyllic village setting, far from hustle and bustle of cities. Where the culture and values of its denizens are tied closely with centuries old practices. Good or bad.
There are no heroes or villains here. Not in the conventional sense. Just people being people. In all ends of the spectrum. But more often than not, the middle strata or realists, concerned with only their own gain.
And calling them stories would serve them a disservice. For many, like Subha and the Postmaster rarely follow a story structure.
A more apt description would be snippets from the countless mundane existences. They range from the mostly whimsical, to pensive and morose, those which elicit discontentment and restlessness, and some that just end with no satisfying conclusion or closure.
There is this recurrent theme, where you make some preconceptions early on, based on the progression of the tale. But then that story just… stops. On closer introspection, one can conclude this is not meant as a cheap hook, or the author unsure how to close curtains to the story. Rather a cold window on life. Where sometimes the untold story holds more meaning than one with a defined conclusion.
Where not every love story remains fulfilled. Or every child knows the love and care of family. Where kindness and gratitude can often breed contempt and entitlement on either side.
The poor orphan girl doesn’t always find a prince charming to bring happiness in her life. Nor will she break the societal yolk to accomplish feats of independence. Many spent lives, as if in half daze and in its twilight, realization sets in, of what could’ve been. And that can be more heart wrenching than the more engaging Greek tragedies.
What came to that child we all met once on the roadside? The same one with grimy hands of caked dust and sweat. And dry unkempt discolored hair. And old disheveled button less clothes. Selling some manner of cheap plastic trinkets. The ones begging for alms with a distended stomach and unhealthy complexion. The same ones we sympathize with for the duration they’re in our sight. Only to pushed back, in favor of thoughts we consider more important.
We don’t always consider it our moral obligation to see to it that they get a proper life. Our concerns are mostly within the narrow circle we consider our own. So It is for the all too human characters in the many tales.
Written in fantastic and elegant prose, always with the background of heavy downcast skies and brewing storm clouds; Mashi doesn’t preach or expound the virtues or vices of society. It merely prompts one to dig deeper in introspection; over the thousand shades of the human condition.
There are no heroes or villains here. Not in the conventional sense. Just people being people. In all ends of the spectrum. But more often than not, the middle strata or realists, concerned with only their own gain.
And calling them stories would serve them a disservice. For many, like Subha and the Postmaster rarely follow a story structure.
A more apt description would be snippets from the countless mundane existences. They range from the mostly whimsical, to pensive and morose, those which elicit discontentment and restlessness, and some that just end with no satisfying conclusion or closure.
There is this recurrent theme, where you make some preconceptions early on, based on the progression of the tale. But then that story just… stops. On closer introspection, one can conclude this is not meant as a cheap hook, or the author unsure how to close curtains to the story. Rather a cold window on life. Where sometimes the untold story holds more meaning than one with a defined conclusion.
Where not every love story remains fulfilled. Or every child knows the love and care of family. Where kindness and gratitude can often breed contempt and entitlement on either side.
The poor orphan girl doesn’t always find a prince charming to bring happiness in her life. Nor will she break the societal yolk to accomplish feats of independence. Many spent lives, as if in half daze and in its twilight, realization sets in, of what could’ve been. And that can be more heart wrenching than the more engaging Greek tragedies.
What came to that child we all met once on the roadside? The same one with grimy hands of caked dust and sweat. And dry unkempt discolored hair. And old disheveled button less clothes. Selling some manner of cheap plastic trinkets. The ones begging for alms with a distended stomach and unhealthy complexion. The same ones we sympathize with for the duration they’re in our sight. Only to pushed back, in favor of thoughts we consider more important.
We don’t always consider it our moral obligation to see to it that they get a proper life. Our concerns are mostly within the narrow circle we consider our own. So It is for the all too human characters in the many tales.
Written in fantastic and elegant prose, always with the background of heavy downcast skies and brewing storm clouds; Mashi doesn’t preach or expound the virtues or vices of society. It merely prompts one to dig deeper in introspection; over the thousand shades of the human condition.
July 17, 2016
Many great circumstances are highlighted in this collection of Tagore's shorts. Whereas today's readers might scoff at the out of date scenarios such as an eight year old widow or the unbreakable binds of marriage, the challenges these key characters endure expose timeless subtleties in all personal choice. The succinct writing style characteristic of Gertrude Stein and other skilled writers of this time is revealed in the amusing snippet of a conversation provided in The Castaway,
Whereas I have never seen Stein or contemporaries expose the framework of their dialog choices so blatantly, it provided refreshing honesty in prose that could be argued as excessive only in the perfection from thought to spoken word.
Favourite stories included:The Postmaster, Subha, The Elder Sister, My Fair Neighbor
Highly recommended and quick read. If you are a Hemingway fan, this would be a great way to round out what surely influenced him.
The husband, Sharat, was saying: 'I wish you would stay on a few days more; you would then be able to return home quite strong again.'
The wife, Kiran, was saying: 'I have quite recovered already. It will not, cannot possibly, do me any harm to go home now.'
Every married person will at once understand that the conversation was not quite so brief as I have reported it. The matter was not so difficult, but the arguments for and against did not advance it towards a solution. Like a rudderless boat, the discussion kept turning round and round the same point; and at last it threatened to be overwhelmed in a flood of tears.
Whereas I have never seen Stein or contemporaries expose the framework of their dialog choices so blatantly, it provided refreshing honesty in prose that could be argued as excessive only in the perfection from thought to spoken word.
Favourite stories included:The Postmaster, Subha, The Elder Sister, My Fair Neighbor
Highly recommended and quick read. If you are a Hemingway fan, this would be a great way to round out what surely influenced him.
November 27, 2016
As the title suggests, this book is a collection of short stories by legendary Indian Rabindranath Tagore. The anthology has in total 14 short stories-'Mashi', 'The Postmaster', 'The Skeleton', 'The Riddle Solved, 'The Trust Property', 'The Supreme Night', 'Raja and Rani', 'The River Stairs', 'The Elder Sister' and 'The Castaway'.
The stories present in the book gives a new meaning to nostalgia, love and remembrance and are very intriguing and interesting. The book is overall a great read.
Recommended.
The stories present in the book gives a new meaning to nostalgia, love and remembrance and are very intriguing and interesting. The book is overall a great read.
Recommended.
June 22, 2020
Seeing life's rendition from Tagore's perception is like contemplating throughout all seasons in a house built in the middle of a lake. The mind moves beyond the outer layers of the object and contemplates on subtle aspects.
May 13, 2017
Talk about beauty in simplicity and this book would perfectly fit the bill.
May 17, 2017
The genius of Gurudeb is unparalleled. what he wrote a century back still strikes a chord today in the age of crapple and other gadgets
December 24, 2020
I did not read this particular print, however, including this as it is the nearest. I got a 1918 compiled translation work published by Macmillan and Co., London. Must say, one of the best translated versions i have ever read. It has 14 short stories - Mashi, the skeleton, the auspicious vision, the supreme night, raja and rani, the trust property, the riddle solved, the elder sister, subha, the postmaster, the river stairs, the castaway, saved & my fair neighbour- each leaving behind a distinct, different flavour. The details took me right in to the middle of the stories, making me feel the happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, pain, elation- as if I was the one.
October 22, 2022
Los cuentos propios de un premio Nóbel. Perfectos.
January 16, 2013
I'm on a Tagore roll these days, reading his poetry and stories nonstop, and it's been incredible. He's a master at evoking memories and personal associations.
In this book, I enjoyed the first story, 'Mashi,' the most. The others were good too, touching and tragic as only Tagore can be, but I found the shocking endings of 'The Elder Sister' and 'The Trust Property' highly disturbing.
The stories here have an underlying message of encouraging broadmindedness by trying to normalize the practice of widow remarriage. As Tagore was also an important social activist, this is not surprising.
A good read, but not my favourite Tagore book. Not by a long shot.
In this book, I enjoyed the first story, 'Mashi,' the most. The others were good too, touching and tragic as only Tagore can be, but I found the shocking endings of 'The Elder Sister' and 'The Trust Property' highly disturbing.
The stories here have an underlying message of encouraging broadmindedness by trying to normalize the practice of widow remarriage. As Tagore was also an important social activist, this is not surprising.
A good read, but not my favourite Tagore book. Not by a long shot.
March 8, 2021
Too Lazy to type a review.
I have an old original copy... Bit tattered but enjoyable.
I have an old original copy... Bit tattered but enjoyable.
May 20, 2020
Hittade en svensk översättning från 1920. Fjorton ganska korta berättelser, som får mig att ömsom sniffa på ytan och emellanåt sjunka in i den flertusenåriga komplexa indiska kulturen, på en gång myllrande av folk och ändå stilla, med många nära relationer och ändå osynliga avstånd som skiljer individerna åt - allt så helt igenom mänskligt. De psykologiska och själsliga insikterna känns för mig äkta. Han skriver att trasiga föremål kan lagas, brottytan sättas ihop. Men när två människor skilts åt en tid kan de aldrig återförenas på samma ställe och samma tid, "ty själen är ett levande ting och den växer och förändrar sig från det ena ögonblicket till det andra."
Det är nåbot bitterljuvt i läsandet av Tagore, tråts att han aldrig blir sentimental. Stänk av klarsynt humor, men med eftersmak av bearbetad sorg.
Det är nåbot bitterljuvt i läsandet av Tagore, tråts att han aldrig blir sentimental. Stänk av klarsynt humor, men med eftersmak av bearbetad sorg.
February 11, 2024
I love stories by Rabindranath Tagore mainly due to their old-world charm. How I wish I could read them in Bengali! The elaborate descriptions of nature and surroundings get lost in translation, often resulting in large, clunky sentences. This particular collection of stories seemed rather disappointing with most of them not having any good takeaways. Of course, Gurudeb is a keen observer of human relationships and his stories talk about the several nameless bonds that bring people together. The awkwardness of these relationships and the emotional turmoil of the characters about their unknown future is depicted brilliantly. However, most of them didn't seem to have closure.
February 22, 2022
«[...] me pinté la marca roja de las desposadas en la raya del pelo, y así bajé al jardín y preparé mi lecho junto a mi árbol.
Estaba la noche hermosísima. El viento suave del sur le quitaba a besos su cansancio al mundo, y el olor de los jazmines y los belas llenaba de alegría el jardín.
El son de las músicas se iba haciendo más tenue; la luz de la luna, más vaga; el mundo, con sus asociaciones de hogar y familia, la vida toda, se me iba despegando de los sentidos, como una ilusión... Cerré los ojos y sonreí».
Estaba la noche hermosísima. El viento suave del sur le quitaba a besos su cansancio al mundo, y el olor de los jazmines y los belas llenaba de alegría el jardín.
El son de las músicas se iba haciendo más tenue; la luz de la luna, más vaga; el mundo, con sus asociaciones de hogar y familia, la vida toda, se me iba despegando de los sentidos, como una ilusión... Cerré los ojos y sonreí».
January 21, 2020
Dark and beautiful!!!
August 4, 2025
Nice collection of stories. Complicated emotions and situations make most of these stories. One feels sad as none have a happy ending, but isn’t that life?
June 26, 2017
Le receuil Mashi (disponible à http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34757) est un excellent receuil des nouvelles de Rabindranath Tagore (lauréat du Prix Nobel de la Littérature de 1913) qui plaira à un lecteur du 21e siècle parce qu'elles relatent brillament comment les gens aiment mal ou abusent de leurs prochains. Cependant, des contes Tagore commentent aussi l'actualité de son temps.
Pour bien comprendre les contes de receuil, il faut un petit rappel historique. En 1856, Lord Dalhousie le gouverneur-général de l'Inde a promulgé le " Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act" qui a donné le droit aux veuves Hindous de se marier ce que les traditions du pays ne permettaient pas. Les choses ont peu changé en Inde par la suite. En pratique, les veuves sont devenues libres à se marier seulement après l'indépendance de l'Inde en 1948. Un autre coutume qui existait en Inde à l'époque ou Tagore écrivait les contes dans Mashi était le sati qui exigeait des veuves qu'elles se jettent sur le feu crématoire de leur époux
Tagore prend position vis-à-vis du remarriage des veuves et du Sati. D'abord dans "Mashi", Tagore insiste que c'est le devoir de la femme d'aimer son mari. Mashi y échoue de façon lamentable. Elle choisit même de ne pas rester auprès de son mari lors de son agonie de mort. " Saved / Rachetée" par contre raconte l'histoire d'une femme noble qui s'enlève la vie après la mort de son mari.
Tagore aborde le sujet de l'interdit aux veuves de se remarier dans "Skeleton / La squelette". Une jeune fille devient veuve à deux ans. Elle n'accepte pas son sort et devient un monstre. Elle tombe amoureuse d'un homme. Quand il décide d'épouser une autre, la veuve le tue et se suicide. Sa squelette est condamnée à raconter son histoire à des générations d'etudiants de médecine.
Finallement dans "My faire neighbour / La belle voisine" il y a une histoire qui finit bien d'après les normes de nos jours. "La belle voisine" est une veuve qui épouse un homme qui l'aime.
Pour bien comprendre les contes de receuil, il faut un petit rappel historique. En 1856, Lord Dalhousie le gouverneur-général de l'Inde a promulgé le " Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act" qui a donné le droit aux veuves Hindous de se marier ce que les traditions du pays ne permettaient pas. Les choses ont peu changé en Inde par la suite. En pratique, les veuves sont devenues libres à se marier seulement après l'indépendance de l'Inde en 1948. Un autre coutume qui existait en Inde à l'époque ou Tagore écrivait les contes dans Mashi était le sati qui exigeait des veuves qu'elles se jettent sur le feu crématoire de leur époux
Tagore prend position vis-à-vis du remarriage des veuves et du Sati. D'abord dans "Mashi", Tagore insiste que c'est le devoir de la femme d'aimer son mari. Mashi y échoue de façon lamentable. Elle choisit même de ne pas rester auprès de son mari lors de son agonie de mort. " Saved / Rachetée" par contre raconte l'histoire d'une femme noble qui s'enlève la vie après la mort de son mari.
Tagore aborde le sujet de l'interdit aux veuves de se remarier dans "Skeleton / La squelette". Une jeune fille devient veuve à deux ans. Elle n'accepte pas son sort et devient un monstre. Elle tombe amoureuse d'un homme. Quand il décide d'épouser une autre, la veuve le tue et se suicide. Sa squelette est condamnée à raconter son histoire à des générations d'etudiants de médecine.
Finallement dans "My faire neighbour / La belle voisine" il y a une histoire qui finit bien d'après les normes de nos jours. "La belle voisine" est une veuve qui épouse un homme qui l'aime.
May 27, 2016
This was my encounter with the Nobel prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. The prize winning tag is always a discouragement to go through the work, because most of the time, I don't understand them. That kept me away from Tagore for such a long time. Finally I took a chance to read a small set of short stories which are available in kindle for FREE :)
I must say, unexpectedly, it was very entertaining. A collection of small stories, I would say they are good bed time stories, but with a negative mood. Yes, most of the stories have tragic ends. A person who is familiar with India during his life time would undoubtedly say that these stories are close to life. You get to know how was life then; all the poverty, flood, child marriage, superstitions, etc.
All these very much unthinkable...Uff!! I am so relieved that I was not born then.
But also, one thing that stroked me was people seemed to have plenty of time to talk, to eat, to have mid day sleep, for everything; where we now just run around. We don't have time for anything. We just run from one thing to another. I just felt jealous of them for this one thing alone.
So all together, you get a vivid picture of Bengal(same in most of the India) in his time. And as we all know his works such as these, brought in a lot of social reforms.
Respect !!
I must say, unexpectedly, it was very entertaining. A collection of small stories, I would say they are good bed time stories, but with a negative mood. Yes, most of the stories have tragic ends. A person who is familiar with India during his life time would undoubtedly say that these stories are close to life. You get to know how was life then; all the poverty, flood, child marriage, superstitions, etc.
All these very much unthinkable...Uff!! I am so relieved that I was not born then.
But also, one thing that stroked me was people seemed to have plenty of time to talk, to eat, to have mid day sleep, for everything; where we now just run around. We don't have time for anything. We just run from one thing to another. I just felt jealous of them for this one thing alone.
So all together, you get a vivid picture of Bengal(same in most of the India) in his time. And as we all know his works such as these, brought in a lot of social reforms.
Respect !!
July 19, 2016
The stories are simple, the one's that could happen anywhere at the time mentioned in narration, but the way they are told, in beautiful, lyrical language makes them mysterious. And that is the reason you want to read some sentences (that sometimes extend up to a full paragraph) again and again. You can not simply absorb the essence of its beautiful language in one go. Some stories have dark shade to them. You can't stop feeling sorry for some of the characters, and yes you realize this is how people are around us. They teach you how to behave, or sometimes, how not to. And that's why the stories don't remain just the stories anymore, they become subtle moral lessons.
I loved reading every single line of the book, though in English... I wish I would be able to read the original in Bangali!!
I loved reading every single line of the book, though in English... I wish I would be able to read the original in Bangali!!
August 2, 2015
Lovely stories from one hundred and ten years ago that might have happened and been written up four hundred years ago or a thousand years ago or last year. The themes are eternal because people always act the same i.e. unpredictably --whether they are Bengali like these characters or American or Aleutian. This collection is probably the easiest way to get into East Indian literature. Tagore is a master and you are in sure hands.
August 7, 2015
Having read and fallen in love with Gitanjali, I was rather puzzled by this collection of stories dealing with loss. There seemed to be no sense of redemption whatever in them and I'm wondering to what extent the writing was influenced by the fact that Tagore had lost his father, wife and two of his children in the preceding years. The writing is nevertheless detailed and evocative of his world at that time.
Want to read
October 22, 2024Read so far:
Mashi (aka Last night)--
*The skeleton (aka A lesson in anatomy) --
The auspicious vision --
The supreme night (aka One night)--
Raja and rani --
*The trust property (aka Wealth surrendered) --
The riddle solved (aka The solution of the problem)--
*The elder sister --
*Subha (aka The silent girl) --
*The postmaster --
The river stairs (aka The ghat's story)--
*The castaway (aka The nuisance, aka The troublemaker) --
*Saved --
My fair neighbor --
Mashi (aka Last night)--
*The skeleton (aka A lesson in anatomy) --
The auspicious vision --
The supreme night (aka One night)--
Raja and rani --
*The trust property (aka Wealth surrendered) --
The riddle solved (aka The solution of the problem)--
*The elder sister --
*Subha (aka The silent girl) --
*The postmaster --
The river stairs (aka The ghat's story)--
*The castaway (aka The nuisance, aka The troublemaker) --
*Saved --
My fair neighbor --
February 18, 2016
I am a huge fan of Rabindranath Tagore and his works. The way he weaved the tale is totally delightful to read. Though I read most of these stories in Bengali and Assamese (translated version), it was great to read them in English too!
March 14, 2016
Beautiful. Heart touching tales of human frailties from the Bengal countryside. Of one-sided love affairs, of unrequited love, of how poverty and social standing affect human relationships...
Must read
Must read
Read
November 15, 2020A set of short stories based on lives in villages of Bengal in the times of the author.
Most of the stories are likable. One obviously gets the smell of Bengal in all the stories. Some are heart rending and some are humourous and the some are just a story.
A good read.
Most of the stories are likable. One obviously gets the smell of Bengal in all the stories. Some are heart rending and some are humourous and the some are just a story.
A good read.
March 14, 2019
The book Involves about various scenarios faced by typical Bengali women. From village to city author covered many lives of women there.
Author's Interest in potraying Brahmin boys in his stories is evident.
Author's Interest in potraying Brahmin boys in his stories is evident.
October 6, 2015
Collection of short stories worth reading.
http://blog.manasa.me/2015/10/mashi-a...
http://blog.manasa.me/2015/10/mashi-a...
August 6, 2013
nice collection of stories..
April 4, 2015
good read..
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