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He loved the people of his country and strove for the rights of the rural poor to dignity and social justice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A must buy for all Tagore fans!
Nobel Laurate, poet, writer, philosopher, musician, painter, educator - Tagore was a multifaceted genius and a renaissance man par excellence! The section on philosophical meditations gives a cross-section of the cosmic vision of his legendary mastermind. Every page of this book resonates his own words; "The world speaks to me in colours, my soul answers in music". Can't recomment this enough for anyone who is interested in literature or philosophy in general or the works of Tagore in particular.

Samples of Tagore's Output
An excellent sampler of Tagore's work collected by his literary secretary. Contains poetry, conversations with Einstein and H.G. Wells, plays, fables, short stories, essays as well as educational, political and andbiographical information. A must read for all Tagorophiles. ... Read more

Book Description
The letters translated in this book span the most productive period of my literary life, when, owing to great good fortune, I was young and less known. From the Introduction. ... Read more

Book Description
This was first published in 1936 in keeping with Tagore's wish for an anthology. But the title of the original was really a misnomer as the works compiled were selected not collected. The poems and plays collected are translations from the Bengali. ... Read more

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East/West: Gandhi/Tagore
Worth seeking out, warranting reprinting, this is a dense, substantial, but readible biography, less concerned with literary criticism than with the psychological dynamics and political realities of Tagore's creative life.Ultimately, it is about East and West, which is to say, about Tagore the globalist who sought integration of east and west, as contrasted with Gandhi, the nationalist.Tagore believed that the human condition was first of all cultural, Gandhi regarded it as first of all political.This is a comprehensive but penetrating study not only of Tagore, but of modern India.

Very Captivating ...
One day I was visiting my friend, and he gave me this book to read. I always knew Tagore from my childhood, but this relevation was too captivating... I still wish I have the book wherever I see myriad flowers .... A must for a Tagore Fan. ... Read more

Book Description
Stray Birds is a collection of words and thoughts by poet and author Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore is known widely as the first Nobel laureate from Asia and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Stray Birds is a highly recommended work for those who are longtime fans of the writings of Rabindranath Tagore and also for those who are beginning to just discover his amazing, inspirational words and thoughts for the first time.Download Description
WE, the rustling leaves, have a voice that answers the storms, but who are you so silent? "I am a mere flower." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

just like the music, picture, idea, how to love and live mix
good books always let you enjoy all your life. who do not want a beautiful around you? even sometimes the spirit of the book could make you defence the difficult situation of the life and refresh you when feel very tire and disappointed for what happened in your life. I just like it and will read it again and again to rich myself. thank you for reading my writing and hope this world become better and better with the help of good books, good poems like what Tagore did here. ... Read more

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A Collection Of Prose Translations Made By The Author From The Original Bengali ... Read more

Book Description
To realize that death is an illusion, you either have to be very sophisticated or very simple. Tagore was both. I am awed by his use of language, pure crystals of wise innocence. Every word is personal, every word is universal. Those who met Tagore during his eighty years described him as one of the greatest souls of our age; Einstein considered him a sage. From what we learn in these poems, he certainly lived his own words. He kissed the infinite, he was not afraid to lose everything. And in this book, he allows us to approach death not with dusty words but with a silence that washes the soul.
--From the Introduction by Deepak Chopra

In this hauntingly beautiful volume, Deepak Chopra presents new English versions of poems by Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, a lifelong source of inspiration for Chopra and the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

When Tagore writes, "Death, my death / Whisper to me! / For you alone have I kept watch day after day," romantic ecstasy surges through every word. For Tagore the soul was more real than any object, and he sang of death as a joyful voyage home to the eternity from which we sprang. In these poems we experience a dramatic alternative to the fearful Western view of death. Through the magic of Tagore's lyricism we begin to understand that by becoming familiar with death, and watching it grow closer, we can come to live fully in the present moment. As Tagore tells us so eloquently, "If you weep because the sun has gone out / Your tears may blind you to the stars." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good but don't give up Tagore's Gitanjali
Most of the poems in this book were translated by Tagore himself with the help of Yeats.On the Shores of Eternity complements rather than replaces Gitanjali.Especially interesting are the fragments from Tagore'snotebooks which are not in Gitanjali.E.g. "Words cling to the deadlike dust / Silence washes their souls."Tagore's poetry still showshim to be a worthy recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature.

On theother hand, I was not impressed by the introduction by Chopra ... whetherit is helpful to you will depend upon your background in mysticism andliterature.He makes too much of Tagore's friendly relationship with death- St. Francis wrote of "our Sister Bodily Death".Tagore'smysticism is in the long tradition of the collective world - east or west -his uniqueness is the superb poetry in which he shares his experience; thisis not the emphasis of the introduction.But who cares - the poems arewell worth pausing over.

comforting
This book begins with a narrative written by Dr. Chopra.His words were humble as he noted that he dared to tamper with the wisdom of Tagore.When I passed through his words and started reading the poetry of Tagore, I was mesmerized.The poetry is not really about death, but the immortality oflife which begins each day when the eyes are opened and ends each day withthe onset of sleep.It is a book which addresses how we, as humans, canlook at what is going on around us and then decide what choice(s)to make. What is so incredible is that, each day, we are given the chance to makenew choices for the same old problems. (Just like in the movie GroundHogDay starring Bill Murrey.)The trick is to selectively forget howyesterday's choices were unsuccessful and painful as we accept, within ourbones, not our minds, our new choices.Conversely there are those of uswho refuse to allow the beauty of a successful choice to preceed us as webroadcast our success(es) in bright primary colors.In our glee, we stampout the memory of that natural process which allowed us to step into theuniverse and be filled with the knowledge which is aready there; knowledgewhich is just patiently waiting to be used.

Lost in the Translation
I was very disappointed in this translation. Bringing the language intomodern form distorted the meanings and lost the beauty and simplicity ofthe original. I recommend Gitanjali if you want to experience real Tagore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Is the thing which happens the only truth?
My heading for this review is a quote from this engaging novel. In some ways I now understand that indeed the greater truth may exist in the things that haven't happened, where the actions of people are imposed upon by their personal constraints - often to the detriment of all. But what a sentence for the writer to produce!!

This novel is told from the perspective of three people - Nikhil, his wife Bimala, and the activist (in the name of national India) Sandip. By hearing the story from each of them we understand their individual constraints and the drives they have, or lack, to realise their ambitions and desires.Rabindranath Tagore has not written this novel from the perspective of an all-seeing observer and this leads us - the readers - to be deeply entrenched in the individual characters' drives, passions, doubts, uncertainities and failures.

For me this is a very personal expose of my own drives, passions, doubts and failures. If only I could have the views of those around me similarly exposed - if I had some indication of their drives, passions, doubts and sense of failure I am sure that I could respond to them with greater confidence. But, of course, Nikhil, Bimala and Sandip do not have knowlege of each other's innermost thoughts (unlike we, the readers) so their struggle - all three of them - is just as difficult for them as mine is for me.

Did I end up liking any of these characters? Did I admire any of them? Was I appalled by any of them? These are questions I will not answer - read the book for yourself and you will develop your own views which may be as different for you as my constraints are as different from yours.

Here is another quote:

'What harm if you did have a wholesome fear of me? Does anybody know anybody else in this world?'

A complex allegory
A prolific Bengalese writer, Tagore structured this novel such that three main characters represent the turbulence of the Partition that was yet to come to India in 1947. Nikhil is married to Bimala, living in the traditional domestic manner; for herself, Bimala has no expectation of her life ever deviating from her wifely path. The concept of "Swadeshi", a renewed appreciation of everything Indian, and a denial of everything British, particularly British imported goods and grains, rages throughout the country. The egocentric Sandip, a guest in Nikhil's home, is a fierce proponant of Swadeshi. Sandip finds himself passionately attracted to Bimala; he idealizes her as the epitome of "Mother" India, and pursues Bimala without reservation. Flattered by Sandip's attention, Bimala begins to question the nature of her marriage, and the three embark upon an emotional journey that will forever alter their lives, just as India begins a lengthy period of upheaval and unrest. Of the three, Sandip is transparantly shallow, while Nikhil thoughtfully considers every aspect before embarking on a course of action. Both men indulge in lengthy discourses, but the introduction by Anita Desai does much to frame this novel in the appropriate perspective. The allegorical nature of this tale is evident as the characters plunge headlong into the future.

Simply Brilliant
One aspect that non-Indian readers will completely fail to realise is the boldness with which Tagore used to weave his imagination based on stark solid reality. Tagore was socially ostracised for his depiction of the passion (always cloaked and shrouded in the garbs of the civilsation, norms of the society) of an honourable aristrocatic married lady, which acts as the metaphor for the passions the society was undergoing in those turbulent days of political upheaval against the British Empire. A brilliant picture of the torment of the human character caught in the web of desire of ecstacy and quest for contentment, peace and bliss, this narrative draws a beautiful parallel to the miopic frenzy of the mob in its quest for subversion with the destructive consequences of unbridled passion, and an individual's attempt to bring harmony and order in the chaos, attaining salvation. Technically brilliant, this disturbingly beautiful tale is another of Tagore's timeless creation.

complex moral tale
This book is largely a parable about the conflicts in Bengal in the early twentieth century.Tagore uses a triangle of husband and wife and outside suitor.Bimala, the wife is a sort of central figure as the novel largely revolves around her conflicting feelings towards both her husband Nikhil and Sandip.She feels excited by Sandip's passion but also has a bond with her husband.Nikhil is the reserved and dignified religious man who is not swayed by the mob mentality that was sweeping through the Bengal state.Sandip is the passionate, xenophobic leader pushing for the immediate gain.The narrative is written threefold.All three characters take turns telling the story from their own point of view.This is an interesting effect that adds dimension to the tale.Tagore obviously feels empathy towards Nikhil but he refrains from being too judgmental toward Sandip.Bimala becomes the most sympathetic character simply because she faces the most ambivalence in the book.There are many blatant political overtures in this book but I find that it works well as human drama as well.You needn't be knowledgeable about the conflicts in India to appreciate the moral dilemmas presented in this tale.Reading this book made it easy to understand why Tagore was awarded a Nobel Prize.

Moving
This book is terrific. Although written with the idea of a parallel to theproblems of Bengal and her people at the time of Swadeshi, in my opinionthis book is a masterpiece in the depiction of human nature and itscontradictions; as depicted in the characters of Bimala, Nikhil and Sandip.The push and pull between a sense of righteousness and the equallycompelling force of passion is brilliantly portrayed. It will endure as aclassic for a long time to come. ... Read more

Book Description
This essay sketches the psychological biography of the modern nation state in India in the early years of the nationalist movement.Most nationalist leaders in India, adopting uncritically the western ideology of nationalism, were then convinced that the absence of a proper nation state and proper nationalist sentiments were major lacunae in Indian society and indices of its backwardness.English education was seen as the principal means by which Indians would be freed of their irrationalities and be knit into a single cohesive political and cultural community.Yet, by the 1920's, some ambivalence towards the idea of a monocultural nation state and towards nationalism itself had appeared within the Indian freedom movement.And this ambivalence was often expressed by some of the most important figures in the movement, by those very persons who would be considered the major builders of India's national identity, some of whom had found out the cultural and moral impact of nationalism not only on its opponents but even on its champions.To some, including Tagore, the alternative was a distinctive civilizational concept of universalism embedded in the tolerance encoded in various traditional ways of life in a highly diverse, plural society.Some sceptics began to associate nationalism with modern colonialism's record of violence, and, while they continued to view an anti-imperialist stand as being an almost sacred reponsibility, they refused to accept the western idea of nationalism as being the inevitable universal of our times.This essay tells the story of one such dissenter, whose reservations about nationalism led him to take up a public position against it, and who built his resistance on India's cultural heritage and plural ways of life.It does so by analysing three of Tagore's novels (all of them available in English translation).It also touches upon similar ambivalences in two other nationalist thinkers of India, to show that Tagore's dissent was not idiosyncratic; it was latent in others too, for it was based on a certain reading of Indian civilization and actual political processes in India, and in a particular native meaning given to the political struggle against imperialism. ... Read more

Book Description
Perhaps it is well for me to explain that the subject-matter of the papers published in this book has not been philosophically treated, nor has it been approached from the scholar's point of view.The writer has been brought up in a family where texts of the Upanishads are used in daily worship; and he has had before him the example of his father, who lived his long life in the closest communion with God, while not neglecting his duties to the world, or allowing his keen interest in all human affairs to suffer any abatement.So in these papers, it may be hoped, western readers will have an opportunity of coming into touch with the ancient spirit of India as revealed in our sacred texts and manifested in the life of to-day.Download Description
Perhaps it is well for me to explain that the subject-matter of the papers published in this book has not been philosophically treated, nor has it been approached from the scholar's point of view.The writer has been brought up in a family where texts of the Upanishads are used in daily worship; and he has had before him the example of his father, who lived his long life in the closest communion with God, while not neglecting his duties to the world, or allowing his keen interest in all human affairs to suffer any abatement. ... Read more

Book Description
The ten critical essays in this book examine Tagore's best-known novel in relation to the complex nature of colonial modernity. Taking into account Tagore's critique of religious nationalism as well as the historical context of his novel, the essayists show how 'The Home and the World' throws up questions about gender, nationalism, and the novel as a form. This 'Companion' will interest all those who study the Indian novel, post-coloniality, gender representations, and nationalism. Written by highly reputed bilingual scholars in the disciplines of history and literary criticism, this book is an important contribution to interdisciplinary cultural studies of the Indian subcontinent. ... Read more

Book Description
Interest in the life and work of the Nobel-Prize-winning writer, Rabindranath Tagore, is now enjoying a revival after many years of neglect outside India. This selection of some 350 letters spanning Tagore's entire life is the first to be available to English readers. The letters are intended to show as many facets of his experience, interests and ideas as possible, and will be a valuable source of information, not only for the understanding of the complexity of Tagore's personality, but also of the times in which he lived. ... Read more

Book Description
This collection of the short stories of Nobel Laureate and celebrated Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore is the first title in the series The Oxford Tagore, a major new project to publish the English translations of a wide variety of Tagore's writings including his poety, non-ficiton prose, and
fiction. The translations edited by well-known scholar and translator Sukanta Chaudhuri are authoritative and readable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

'to the east an imponderable past.....
.... to the west an unknowable future.' This quote is not about Bengalis - it is about all of us (see 'Thakurda'). For those reviewers who disliked these stories I accept your right to have your view - but I would, if I had one wish granted in which I could influence you, have you read them again with a more open heart, more perceptive eyes. ('Thukurda would be a good story to start with - it is one of the more positive ones, or 'Kabuliwalah'.)

These stories are about Bengalis - people who are different to the majority of Tagore's readers - and poor people too. But Tagore's way of blending these people with the country they live in and the circumstances of their lives - grim though they might be - gives them a real place in my heart and thoughts (and I do recognise that modern Bengalis might be quite different from Tagore's Bengalis - even so, I feel greatly enriched).

My only 'criticism' of Tagore is not something he could do anything about - he was the wealthy amongst the poor, so many poor that even had he given all his wealth away he would have made no dent in the majority of these people's lives. But what he did not do was shut his eyes to their circumstances, blind himself to them in the way all meat eaters blind themselves to what goes on in an abbatoir. And perhaps, by keeping his eyes open, Tagore was able to exercise his influence over these people in a more understanding and supportive way.

By chance I was reading these stories on a trip to Fiji with my family (I read 'Thakurda' to all of them because it is such a beautiful story). When I had finished the stories I was looking for something else to read and, by chance, came across a second-hand copy of 'Afoot in England' by W H Hudson, one of my favourite writers (how this got to be on sale in Levuka is a great mystery - but one I greatly appreciated). Hudson, in this book, does not write short stories - he narrates incidents and some of the historic background behind them. Like Tagore, place (and in Hudson's case, especially birds) are integral to all the tales he tells. The other big difference with Hudson is that he is a peasant amongst peasants. I find this enchanting in a way that Tagore can sometimes seem to me to be a bit distant.

Other recommended reading:

'Home and the World' - Rabindranath Tagore
'Afoot in England' - W H Hudson
'Idle Days in Patagonia' - W H Hudson
'Wanderings in South America' - Charles Waterton (for something a bit different!)

Boo Hoo -- Total Crap
I have no clue why Rabindranath Tagore was regarded as the greatest poet of India -- I DO know why he has been justly forgotten! Just read this book! I couldnt even get through all of the stories. It was just the same thing over and over again. One sob story after another. none of the characters spoke or acted realistically and all of the stories were unhappy tear-jerkers. Why someone who writes such maudlin junk is regarded as a great writer I just do not understand. Chitra Banerjeee Divakaruni writes more realistically than this and she's just a hack too! Saveyour money and read something from a decent modern Parsee writer like Mistry or Umrigar.

Would have given it no stars
if possible. This is just a collection of mushy, sentimentalist garbage ... and if you are not Indian (or Bengali), please ... dont buy this thinking it will give you any accurate idea of Indian life and society at any given point in time. I have never understood why Tagore has such a reputation as a writer of novels and short stories ... stick to his music and art (which ARE terrific) and avoid this stuff at all costs.

Vivid, Magnificent, Haunting, Mysterious Stories
Rabindranath Tagore is best known for his Bengali devotional songs, which were translated to English as poetry. His most famous book of poems, Gitanjali, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. However, Tagore also wrote short stories which reflect the people, customs, social structure, turmoil, and relationships of the times in which they were written. When the stories were written, Tagore lived on a houseboat. He watched the ebb and flow of life in villages along the river. He captured the essential features of Bengali village life. He saw the caste system, the inequality, the struggles and limitations imposed on people. He wrote about the realities he witnessed. He saw that women were treated as second class citizens, despite their intelligence and talents. He witnessed death as a part of life, when antibiotics had not yet been developed, infections killed children and adults alike. Orphans remained to be raised by next of kin. Tagore manages to capture teh feelings and emotions of the disenfranchised, the poor, and the helpless. His stories are often haunting and eery - the reader gets the feeling for where the stories are leading but suddenly an unexpected twist can change the outcomes. Whatever the theme or topic, Tagore maintains a spiritual awareness or presence in all his stories ... he is sensitive to the innocent, the vulnerable, the unprotected ones in society. His characters have unique personalities. He describes family relationships and exploresprescribed roles and society's expectations. He also reveals what happens when people challenge their roles and fall outside behavioral norms. Although the stories were written in the 1890s, the message Tagore conveys has meaning in modern times.
Expressions of love, respect, and decency toward one's fellow human being are universal, therefore Tagore will be held in high esteem by future generations, just as he has been revered by past and present readers. The content of his stories are not bound by space or culture, they are spiritual and therefore timeless. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Touching...
Having the advantage of being a native from Bengal, I could relate to the tragedies expressed in the stories. The characters are highlighted by their uniqueness and yet so typical of the period, region culture and customs - all so brilliantly portrayed. I must point out the marvellous job done in translation. It is very difficult to keep intact the sense of each context when translating and it will never be possible to reflect the stories in its entirety in a translated form. Nevertheless, I felt this was as close as one could get. Tagore is undoubtedly a great poet but what amazes me is how he brings out the poet in anyone who reads his stories or poems. The appreciation does not end with reading his works but endures in your perceptions from then on. ... Read more

Product Description
Gold-embossed, hand-stitched, hand-pasted + hand-bound sari cloth woven + designed in India, to provide visual beauty + the intimate texture of book-feel. ... Read more