Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of Tagore (1917) is a selection of
letters by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after Tagore received the 1913
Nobel Prize in Literature, Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of Tagore
collects letters from 1885 to 1895, a period designated by the author as
"the most productive period of [his] literary life." Bridging the gap
between fiction and nonfiction, these letters contain personal
reflections on the political situation in India, mediations on nature
and poetry, and stunning vignettes of life in the nineteenth century.
"The unsheltered sea heaves and heaves and blanches into foam. It sets
me thinking of some tied-up monster straining at its bonds, in front of
whose gaping jaws we build our homes on the shore and watch it lashing
its tail." In this selection of letters, Tagore is at his philosophical,
poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and
private. A young man, he writes with the clarity and wisdom of one who
has lived many times over, granting readers a glimpse of the iconic
figure he would become toward the end of his life and career. His
portrait of Bengal is heartfelt and true, unadorned and yet possessing
an almost mystical quality. Whether describing his travels upriver by
boat or a dream journey through a Calcutta immersed in "a dense, dark
mist," Tagore never fails to intrigue, enrapture, and enlighten. With a
beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this
edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of
Tagore is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.
