The Art of the Intellect: Uncollected English Writings of Sudhindranath Datta

This volume contains all the recoverable English writings of the Bengali poet and critic Sudhindranath Datta, outside those already gathered in an earlier collection, The World of Twilight. They include a hitherto unknown introduction for a projected Oxford Book of Bengali Verse, drafted by Sudhindranath for the proposed editor, Rabindranath Tagore. Other pieces testify to his informed interest and original thought about Indian and European literature, ancient history, international politics, philosophical speculation and the social mores of his time. There are also a number of book and theatre reviews, and many other pieces that he wrote for The Statesman. The range of subjects and depth of treatment reflect one of the most erudite and original minds of Bengal’s post-Tagore, post-independence generation. They recreate the political, cultural and intellectual milieu of that age of transition. The core material is drawn from the Datta archives at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Some of it was never published. Other items may have been printed but are virtually untraceable: they have been recovered from drafts and typescripts. Some pieces have also been recovered from The Marxian Way, other rare journals, and from The Statesman archives.