Selected Poems of Tagore (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Tagore (India) wrote, translated by Bing Xin and others
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Tagore (1861–1941) was a renowned Indian poet, writer, artist, and social activist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Born into a family with a rich philosophical and literary-artistic background, he began composing long poems and odes at the age of 13. In 1878, he studied in the UK and returned to India in 1880 to dedicate himself to literary activities. From 1884 to 1911, he served as the secretary of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. In the 1920s, he founded Visva-Bharati University. In 1941, he wrote his famous will, Crisis of Civilization, which condemned British colonial rule and expressed his belief in India's eventual independence and liberation. Tagore was a writer with a profound global influence. He wrote over 50 poetry collections and was hailed as the "Poet Saint." He also authored 12 novels, more than 100 short stories, over 20 plays, and numerous literary, philosophical, and political works, in addition to creating over 1,500 paintings and countless songs. His works spanned nearly all fields of literature, history, philosophy, art, politics, and economics, demonstrating his mastery in each. His writings reflect the strong desire of the Indian people to change their fate under imperialist and feudal caste-system oppression, depicting their relentless resistance struggles filled with patriotic and democratic spirit. At the same time, his works are deeply rooted in Indian culture, possessing high artistic value and enjoying immense popularity among the masses. His major poetry collections include Gitanjali (1900), Gitanjali (1910), The Crescent Moon (1913), Stray Birds (1916), Crisis of Civilization (1938), and Birthday (1941); his significant novels include short stories such as The Debt (1891), Renunciation (1893), Sapna (1893), Is a Man Alive or Dead? (1892), Kamadeva (1892), and Sun and Cloud (1894), as well as novels like The Four (1916), The Boat (1906), Gora (1910), and Family and World (1916); his notable plays include Fortress of Folly (1911), Moktodhara (1925), and Red Oleanders (1926); and his significant essays include Trade in Death (1881), Talks with China (1924), and Letters from Russia (1931). His works were introduced to China as early as 1915, and a 10-volume Chinese edition of Tagore's Collected Works has now been published. Tagore's prose poems can be divided into two parts. The first part consists of eight English prose poetry collections: Gitanjali, Gardener, The Crescent Moon, Fruit-Gathering, Stray Birds, Gift of a Lover, Fishing, and The Gardener. The second part includes five Bengali prose poetry collections: Floodgates, Again, Last Week of a Village Boy, Lotus Petal, and Black Bull.