Rabindranath Tagore: Selected Short Stories

Selected Short Stories reflects the full range of Tagore’s work in the genre, making us revise the conventional view of Tagore as a short story writer. Writing at a time when the form was not yet popular, Tagore eschewed the romantic strain of narrative prevalent in his day. His stories are fables of modern man, where fairy-tale meets hard reality and myths are reworked, where the religion of humanity triumphs over the religion of ritual and convention, and human love invests the universe with meaning and beauty. He engages deeply with such issues as Hindu orthodoxy and the bondage of women. The rhythms of daily life in Bengal resound through his tales. They reflect his rural experiences and childhood memories, as also the historical and political realities of the day and their impact on individual lives. Edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, the noted scholar and translator, this volume is as authoritative as readable. It is an essential volume for collectors of Tagoreana, and for all discerning readers of fiction.