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Edward Thompson, an English poet and Wesleyan missionary--and, later, father of the eminent historian E. P. Thompson--first met Rabindranath Tagore on the day the poet learned he had won the Nobel Prize in 1913. He became closely involved with him and his circle during the preparation of Rabindranath Tagore: Poet and Dramatist (OUP 1992), the first major English-language study of his writings. This volume of letters, ranging from 1913 until 1940, the year before Tagore's death, sheds new light on this remarkable and stormy friendship, and offers fresh insights into Anglo-Indian relations in the first quarter of the last century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Important man in early 20th century India
To the typical American, Tagore is somewhat a remote individual. Having read this book, 1) it gave me his insights and a different perspective about Gandi2) in further readings about early and mid 20th century India,it was important to know who this great man was. ... Read more

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From the 1913 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature comes Fireflies, a collection of 200 proverbs, aphorisms, and maxims from India, China, and Japan. Collected by Rabindranath Tagore over many years, each epigrammatic “firefly” represents a brief yet luminous thought on life, beauty, or God. “Tagore knew that the most profound subjects — love, truth, compassion, birth, and death — were his." — Deepak Chopra ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Read... memorable liness
This is a must read for any Tagore reader (or otherwise). This was my first book with Tagore and I absolutely loved it. I subsequently followed it up by buying almost all the English works he has done. I think Fireflies showcases why he deserved the Nobel Prize that he earned. Among my favorite verses in this book includes "I have no traces of wings in the air, but I am glad I have had my flight." Read it!

Not Haiku, but dissimilar
A friend gave me a copy of this book when I was entering the India X Peace Corps training project in 1964."To be read in times of stress, but also happiness," it says inside the flyleaf.That just says it all.You don't need to think you enjoy poetry to treasure this book.Tagore captures moment after moment of the human experience, pierces each with an insight of his own and shares it with the reader.In a sense it bears a similarity to those little books of daily prayers or 'thoughts for the day' people used to hand you when they came to the door uninvited to explain to you what you should believe to mold yourself to a nearer model of what they, themselves believed.But it's a lot more than that.Tagore isn't pushy.He soaks in to your conciousness the way water enters a sponge, and he stays there.

I think a copy of this book ought to be by the bedside in every home in America to be read during those times when the weight of our submersion in this reality seems too heavy to bear, or when the joys lift us too high.

Meaningful beyond words
This book speaks directly to the soul. Its poems are concise yet beautifully eloquent. When I read them, I am re-awakened to an inner knowing of beauty and love and creative spirit. I am also reminded of the timelessness and constancy of truth. "Fireflies" is a book to return to again and again.

Marvelous Though Little Read Now
Fireflies by Rabindranath Tagore is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. I am not an expert on Asian literature; so, I cannot give very much background on the poems presented her. What I can say is that every poem in here is a beautiful and is a perfect thought no matter where it came from or who is reading it. This collection by the Nobel Prize winner is made up of fireflies. They are each only three to six lines long and present a single thought. The poems flow together very cohesively. Tagore covers many different subjects. He speaks of innocense, nature, power, bigotry, freedom, death, and love. In short, Tagore writes about life. My favorite was the last:

"Before the end of my journey/may I reach within myself/the one which is the all,/leaving the outer shell/to float away with the drifting multitude/upon the current of chance and change."

I also liked:

"Love is an endless mystery,/for it has nothing else to explain it."

Few books flow as well as this one does. It enlightens the reader through the entire book and will express into words some feelings that all people have (as good poetry should do). Anyone who loved The Prophet by Gibran would love this book as well. It is somewhat forgotten among readers of today (I'm 18, and I guarantee that no other person in my high school has read this), but it should definately not be. ... Read more

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Reprint of a classic study, a basic biography, illustrated. excellent production ... Read more

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Out of Bengal and the Hindu spiritual tradition comes a Nobelprize-winning mystical poet whose time for broad, popular acceptance hascome. William Butler Yeats fell in love with these poems almost a 100 yearsago, the Nobel Committee honored them with their literature prize in 1913and just recently The Utne Reader cited Tagore as one of today's mostoverlooked spiritual writers.This new editionis important because itslyrical translation has been made from Tagore's original Bengali andbecause it makes theentire collection of 157 Gitanjali, or "songofferings" available to a wider audience for the first time. RabindranathTagore wrote with the insight and emotion that so characterizes KahlilGibran, with the mystical passion that has made Jalaluddin Rumi so popularand with a simplicity and depth that remains fresh and attractive totoday's seekers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Tagore's misuse of the word God and Lord
I read Tagore's translation into English of his Bengali song lyrics back in the 1960s.The way he uses God and Lord in that translation, which I no longer have a copy of, struck me as quite at odds with what he actually meant.He never believed in the Western idea of some objective God controlling the Universe, but only in an experience you either have or have not had, rather what I think Jesus was actually referring to.Having had that experience part-way when I was 11, and Tagore's having had apparently the complete experience when he was 17, his songs seem to me to be his struggle to have the experience again, which it seems he never did.I certainly haven't.This translation gives a somewhat better idea of what Tagore meant.There is a fuller philosophical explanation in the Northrup book "The Meeting of East and West".In my elementary astronomy classes, I usually gave students a choice on the final between a few objective questions or commenting on one or two of Tagore's lyrics as they felt them, which to me is as important as the color-magnitude diagram.

The God of his life
I can't read Bengali so I have no way of knowing how faithful Br. James Talarovic was to Rabindranath Tagore's GITANJALI.I have read other translations, even Tagore's own, and at the very least I can say that Talarovic's ring true; that is to say they put words to the dark nights and twilit days of my spirit.Whether this is because Talarovic is a poet in his own right, or because he gave himself to the Bengali language (see his Bengali for Foreigners: Basic Grammar, Basic Vocabulary With Sentences, Secondary Vocabulary, English-Bengali-Transliteration), Br. James was truly in love with Tagore's soul so much that he translated his GITIMALYA and GITALI as well (although at present only the GITANJALI is in print).

I can't recommend Br. James Talarovic's translation of the GITANJALI enough.Besides the quality of the poetry we are indebted to Talarovic for doing what even Rabindranath Tagore didn't do, which was to translate the entire GITANJALI rather than parts of it.SHOW YOURSELF TO MY SOUL is, for me, as edifying as any translation of Rumi, and -- I would venture to say -- equally as profound.

fabulous poems and translation
Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore is a series of poems exposing Tagore'ssearch for union with the divine.Tagore, a Bengali Hindu, writes with great beauty, emotion and simplicity.Reading the poems in order (there are 157 poems, each about a page or less long) shows the waxing and waning cycles of Tagore's spiritual life.Sometimes God is present to Tagore, only to leave later.A Christian spiritual seeker myself, I could easily relate to the pendulum swing that Tagore writes about: the joys, frustrations and patience.Tagore himself made an English translation of these poems for which he won the Nobel prize for literature in the early 20th century (the first non-European to win the literature prize).Here the translation is by a Catholic monk who spent most of his adult life in Bengal, and many scholars think his translation is better than Tagore's, due to his absolute fluency in both languages.I have read beautiful poems by many spiritual writers, and I found Tagore's Gitanjali the most approachable and meaningful.Highest recommendation. ... Read more

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Introduction 4
Childhood and Early Age 6
Life at Shantiniketan 9
Towards the Final Years 12
Travels to Various Countries 14
Works of Rabindranath Tagore 18
Novels Written by Rabindranath Tagore 19
Non-fiction Writings 21
Tagore-Music and Art 22
Tagore and Theatre 26
Tagore as a Short Story Writer 28
Tagore’s Poetry 32
Tagore’s Political views 35
Impact 38
Tagore Quotes 42
Nobel Prize for literature 1913 45
GITANJALI 45
Song Offerings 45
INTRODUCTION 45
The End 127


Print ISBN: 978-0-557-57871-9 ... Read more

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While a young boy rests on doctor's orders, he watches the people pass outside his window and greets all of them, and as he does, he teaches them and the reader some of life's simple truths. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

After Death, There's Life
This play by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is one of those pieces of literature that truly deserves to be remembered and admired as it was in London in 1914, when William Butler Yeats remarked that this little play "...is very perfectly constructe and conveys to the right audience an emotion of gentleness and peace."To Western eyes, at first glance, a play about a dying child may see morbid.The reader and theatregoer quickly realize, however, that Amal, the moribund boy, simply wants to experience the world through they eyes of a common dairyman and receive a letter from the king.He appreciates the small things in life and wants to live his life to the fullest, without pity or decadence.The thought of death barely enters his mind.

It is, then, without coincidence, that the play was aired over the radio during Europe's darkest hours under Nazi occupation in World War II.The most poignant performance of the play was in July 1942, in the Warsaw Ghetto, when the Polish doctor, educator, writer, and children's rights activist Janusz Korczak had the children in his orphanage stage this play.As with the central character, Amal, the children were better able to accept death as part of life, preparing for certain death that awaited them.Said Korczak, "The play is more than a text - it is a mood, it conveys more than emotions - it is an experience, and the actors are more than actors -they are children."

In accepting death one can affirm life.

After Death, There's Life
This play by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is one of those pieces of literature that truly deserves to be remembered and admired as it was in London in 1914, when William Butler Yeats remarked that this little play "...is very perfectly constructe and conveys to the right audience an emotion of gentleness and peace."To Western eyes, at first glance, a play about a dying child may see morbid.The reader and theatregoer quickly realize, however, that Amal, the moribund boy, simply wants to experience the world through they eyes of a common dairyman and receive a letter from the king.He appreciates the small things in life and wants to live his life to the fullest, without pity or decadence.The thought of death barely enters his mind.It is, then, without coincidence, that the play was aired over the radio during Europe's darkest hours under Nazi occupation in World War II.The most poignant performance of the play was in July 1942, in the Warsaw Ghetto, when the Polish doctor, educator, writer, and children's rights activist Janusz Korczak had the children in his orphanage stage this play.As with the central character, Amal, the children were better able to accept death as part of life, preparing for certain death that awaited them.For in accepting death one can affirm life.

After Death, There's Life
This play by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is one of those pieces of literature that truly deserves to be remembered and admired as it was in London in 1914, when William Butler Yeats remarked that this little play "...is very perfectly constructe and conveys to the right audience an emotion of gentleness and peace."To Western eyes, at first glance, a play about a dying child may see morbid.The reader and theatregoer quickly realize, however, that Amal, the moribund boy, simply wants to experience the world through they eyes of a common dairyman and receive a letter from the king.He appreciates the small things in life and wants to live his life to the fullest, without pity or decadence.The thought of death barely enters his mind.It is, then, without coincidence, that the play was aired over the radio during Europe's darkest hours under Nazi occupation in World War II.The most poignant performance of the play was in July 1942, in the Warsaw Ghetto, when the Polish doctor, educator, writer, and children's rights activist Janusz Korczak had the children in his orphanage stage this play.As with the central character, Amal, the children were better able to accept death as part of life, preparing for certain death that awaited them.For in accepting death one can affirm life.

After Death, There's Life
This play by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is one of those pieces of literature that truly deserves to be remembered and admired as it was in London in 1914, when William Butler Yeats remarked that this little play "...is very perfectly constructe and conveys to the right audience an emotion of gentleness and peace."To Western eyes, at first glance, a play about a dying child may see morbid.The reader and theatregoer quickly realize, however, that Amal, the moribund boy, simply wants to experience the world through they eyes of a common dairyman and receive a letter from the king.He appreciates the small things in life and wants to live his life to the fullest, without pity or decadence.The thought of death barely enters his mind.It is, then, without coincidence, that the play was aired over the radio during Europe's darkest hours under Nazi occupation in World War II.The most poignant performance of the play was in July 1942, in the Warsaw Ghetto, when the Polish doctor, educator, writer, and children's rights activist Janusz Korczak had the children in his orphanage stage this play.As with the central character, Amal, the children were better able to accept death as part of life, preparing for certain death that awaited them.For in accepting death one can affirm life.

The Post Office
This short play is greatr. It made me think about my own life and what I may or may not be doing. It made me think about what is real or unreal. It's well worth the half hour it takes to read. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

THE PRESENT EDITION
This is one of the more exquisite texts of Nobel winner Tagore. The reader shoud be aware, though, that this one is an abridged edition where some of the allegedly more beautiful chapters are missing.

very special book
My mom read some of these poems to me as a child. When she was dying, I read them to her. She smiled when almost nothing made her smile. And then later in the process, they calmed her when nearly nothing else could calm her. These poems seem almost sacred to me.

Should be required reading for every loving parent.
I have read several of Tagore's works but nothing has ever touched me as deeply as the lines in these poems about children and their loves.The one on the death of a child is my favorite.I lost my own child with leukemia several years ago and thought the tears had all dried up but these touching words of this great poetic master found some still tender areas.If these poems are so very beautiful in their English translations, I can only guess what they must sound like in the original rhythmic and lyrical Bengali language.Thank you for allowing me to review and recommend this book ... Read more

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A magnificent tribute to India's Nobel Laureate inLiterature this elegant volume combines superb translations by WilliamRadice and photographs by John Berridge which capture the essence ofthe land and the people of Bengal around whom Tagore wove his literarymagic. the book combines words and images in a manner reminiscent ofthe one greatest poets of the twentieth century. Dr. William Radiceteaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies University ofLondon; Dr. John Berridge teaches at St. Francis Xavier UniversityNova Scotia ... Read more

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Thought provoking.
This book was my first introduction to Tagore's works.The photographycaught my attention enough to purchase the book.The poetry has touched meso much that I continue to read it over and over again. ... Read more

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In this collection of short stories we get a glimpse of some of the women in Rabindranath Tagore's writing.Through these stories we also come to know the social conditions in which women were placed, almost always the victims, and more interestingly, responding differently yet with the same dignity, how each handled the pressures associated with it. ... Read more

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This collection is not only the last testament of Tagore but is significant in many other ways.Most of the untitled poems in this book were literally written on his death bed.Word-wizardy was always one of Tagore's strongest appeals.But in Sesh Lekha it touches a point of mystifingly subtle communocation.The language is bare, the imagery striking and the expression spartan. ... Read more

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A study of the life and work of the 'poet of Bengal."

THIS TITLE IS CITED AND RECOMMENDED BY:Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. ... Read more

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This collection of Tagore's songs in translation, perhaps the largest to appear in a systematic form, aims at a holistic appreciation of this body of Tagore's literary creation. Arranged chronologically, thiscollection pays a lot of attention to the lyric's quality as poetry than to the song's tune or melodic quality. The translations closely follow the original Bengali lyrics in formal structure (line arrangement, rhyming pattern, and exact wording) instead of using free verse, and phonetic transliteration of the original is provided alongside the faithful translation-this enables one to immediately follow the artistry of the structure of expression in form and wording. Where the lyric had been transcreated by the poet himself, that is quoted before giving the translation that follows the original Bengali as closely as possible-something that will be of particular interest to students of translation studies. The fairly comprehensive Introduction and several carefully chosen articles on Tagore's songs would also help the reader to understand the songs as a very special, and rather unique, kind of poetry, quite apart from the general body of Tagore's poems.This edition will appeal to those who know Tagore as also young readers, apart from students and scholars of Indian literature and translation studies. ... Read more