Rabindranath Tagore: An Interpretation

An enduring icon of India, Rabindranath Tagore made extraordinary contributions as an artist, nationalist, educationist and philosopher. Deeply aware of the historical significance of his times, he built on the heritage of nineteenth-century Indian renaissance to become one of the makers of the modern Indian mind. In this first-of-its-kind intellectual biography, historian Sabyasachi Bhattacharya sketches a compelling portrait of a Tagore who was innately sceptical, self-critical and tormented by conflicts in his ‘inner life’. He draws on letters, autobiographical accounts and literary works, some translated for the first time, to explore Tagore’s chief dilemmas. He reveals how despite Tagore’s apparently contradictory ideas on patriotism and international humanism, modernity and traditional practices, secularism and religious influence, there was a unified vision that tied together his diverse oeuvre. Thoroughly researched and evocatively written, Rabindranath Tagore: An Interpretation offers profound insights into Tagore’s life and multiple influences that shaped his genius.