Overview
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)—poet, philosopher, painter, novelist, playwright, composer, traveller, political commentator and Asia’s first Nobel Laureate—was one of his era’s cultural icons. Proclaimed as the greatest poet India has ever produced, Tagore left an astonishing legacy undimmed nearly 70 years after his death. But he was also an enigmatic, complex and contradictory figure, torn between India’s spiritual values and the spirit of the West. In this definitive biography, Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson explore the man behind the myth, presenting the power of his person, the power of his name and the power of his work. The result is an enlightening and exquisitely rendered portrayal—not of the legend but, to quote Tagore, of "the figure that once moved."
Synopsis
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)—poet, philosopher, painter, novelist, playwright, composer, traveller, political commentator and Asia’s first Nobel Laureate—was one of his era’s cultural icons. Proclaimed as the greatest poet India has ever produced, Tagore left an astonishing legacy undimmed nearly 70 years after his death. But he was also an enigmatic, complex and contradictory figure, torn between India’s spiritual values and the spirit of the West. In this definitive biography, Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson explore the man behind the myth, presenting the power of his person, the power of his name and the power of his work. The result is an enlightening and exquisitely rendered portrayal—not of the legend but, to quote Tagore, of "the figure that once moved."
Editorials
From the Publisher
Praise for the hardcover:"One has waited a very long time for a biography of Tagore that did justice to a far more complex and curious mind and life than simply respectful and circumspect accounts allowed. Here it is: thorough, fair, balanced, intelligent, and addressing every aspect of a truly astonishing artist, his life and times." — Anita Desai
"This seems to exemplify a sort of biography little dared anymore; an enquiry into the spirit and mind of a man whom the authors trust and admire and do not presume to overinterpret." —Independent on Sunday
"Enjoyable, astute and highly readable." —Amit Chaudhuri, Spectator
"Judicious, sympathetic and exceedingly well documented." —The Times
"A painstaking, informative, well-written biography." —Daily Telegraph
"Excellent… admirably straightforward, readable, lively, informative." —Financial Times
"Dutta and Robinson’s lively narrative steers clear of facile categories...so revealing the subtle nuances of East and West in the poet’s sensibility." —Guardian
"The entire book was a revelation to me… it brings out very clearly that Tagore was intellectually more perceptive than Gandhi." —Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Nobel Laureate
"A fascinating book about a fascinating man, a work that addresses the profound conflict between eastern spirituality and western rationality." —Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Laureate
"An excellent book… as an elegantly argued and subtly shaded portrait it will be difficult to supersede." —Literary Review
‘This book offers a very detailed and perceptive portrayal of a man and his times and, since it is co-written by an Englishman and an Indian, it provides an understanding and appreciation from both perspectives.’ - John Green, MORNING STAR, 9 March 2009
‘An ambitious and altogether brilliant biography… exceptionally fair-minded.’ — Sunday (Calcutta)
‘Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson have established themselves as the pre-eminent Tagore scholars.’ — K. Natwar Singh, Asian Age