Rabindranath Tagore

Tagore's supressed book now available in an English-Bengali editionFor the first time in English, here is the sequence of poems Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) worked on his entire life--the erotic and emotionally powerful dialogue about Lord Krishna and his young lover Radha. These song offerings are the first poems Tagore ever published, though he passed them off as those of an unknown Bengali religious poet. As the first and last poems Tagore wrote and revised, they represent the entrance and exit to one of the most prolific literary lives of our contemporary world. The translation rights to Tagore's poetry were tightly guarded until 2001, when they entered the public domain, making publication of this book possible. These English versions are the result of a five-year collaboration between Bengali scholar Tony K. Stewart, who provided richly associative literal translations, and the celebrated poet Chase Twichell, who shaped the poems into English. This bilingual Bengali-English edition also includes the biography Tagore wrote of the unknown religious poet who supposedly authored these poems. Rabindranath Tagore was born in Bengal, the youngest son of a religious reformer and scholar. He wrote successfully in all literary genres and is the author of the national anthems for both India and Bangladesh. In his mature years he managed the family estates, which brought him into close touch with common humanity and increased his interest in social reforms. He participated in the Indian nationalist movement, and was a devoted friend of Mahatma Gandhi. Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913; he was knighted in 1915 by the British Government, but later resigned the honor as a protest against British policies in India.

A timeless tale of complex emotional relationships from an acknowledged master Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Rituparno Ghosh, Chokher Bali is Nobel Prize-winning author Rabindranath Tagore''s classic exposition of an extramarital affair that takes place within the confines of a joint family. It is the story of the rich, flamboyant Mahendra and his simple, demure, beautiful wife Asha--a young couple who are befriended by the pragmatic Bihari. Their cosy domestic scenario undergoes great upheaval with the introduction of the vivacious Binodini, a young, attractive widow who comes to live with them. Asha and Binodini become bosom pals. Binodini is initially drawn to Bihari but then begins to respond to the advances of Mahendra, who has become obsessively attracted to her. After several twists and turns, Binodini elopes with Mahendra, leaving the entire family in turmoil. Bihari pursues them to Allahabad and succeeds in bringing them back to Kolkata, but the question remains: can a marriage that has once been ruptured by breach of trust be mended again into a meaningful relationship? On the one hand, A Grain of Sand: Chokher Bali is a sensational account of two illicit relationships: Mahendra''s infatuation with Binodini which blinds him to everything else, and Binodini''s secret passion for Bihari of which she is never able to speak. On the other hand, it is a complex tapestry woven by the emotional interplay between five finely etched characters: the impulsive Mahendra, his adoring mother Rajlakshmi, the frail and sensitive Asha, the strong, silent Bihari, and the self-willed and irresistibly attractive Binodini. A compelling portrayal of the complexity of relationships and of human character, this landmark novel is just as powerful and thought-provoking today as it was a hundred years ago, when it was written.