Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) became an international figure when his Gitanjali, an anthology of religious lyrics, originally written in Bengali and translated into English by the poet himself, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature–the first ever to an Asian–in 1913. Since then he came to be known not only as a great writer but also as the most able spokesman of modern India. Till today he is the most widely read Indian author in India and abroad. Although his reputation outside the Bengali-speaking area rests largely, if not entirely, on his English writings, no attempt has been ever made to put them together. Sahitya Akademi has decided to bring out a complete collection of Tagore’s English writings in three volumes. The first volume is devoted exclusively to all poetic works, translated by Tagore and a few poems that he wrote in English. The present volume includes nine plays and four stories translated by Tagore and also five prose works distinguished by profundity of thought and beauty of expression. These works made a great impact on readers belonging to different countries and cultures. They are still fresh and challenging. Four the first time Tagore’s English writings are presented with scholarly annotations and information about the historical contexts to which they belong.
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