Selected Essays of Tagore

Author: Rabindranath Tagore (India), translated by Bai Kaiyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Rabindranath Tagore was a world-renowned literary giant. He began practicing writing at the age of eight and dictated his last poem, The Path You Have Created, until his death, spanning a creative career of over seventy years. His works are vast and diverse, including fifty-three Bengali poetry collections, twenty novels and short stories, over one hundred short stories, more than thirty plays, over two thousand songs, and a large number of essays. The language, imagery, and rhythm of his poetry form the most prominent artistic features of Tagore's prose. Especially in short stories like The Cloud Messenger and The Thorny Tree, his refined language and ethereal imagery express unique insights into the world, love, and life, offering readers aesthetic enjoyment. The Alley is entirely symbolic, ostensibly describing an alley but actually mocking those who view the world through a well and adhere to rigid conventions. Articles like The Crisis of Civilization also use just a few strokes to paint poetic scenes, vividly conveying abstract ideas and showcasing extraordinary artistic skills. Opium—Death Ship to China, China and India, and Speeches in China, along with Letters to Indira Devi, are the three essays included in this book. The other selections are translated from The Complete Works of Tagore.