Of Myself (Atmaparichay)

In these six essays that were collected in a volume after the author's death, the reader is a privileged listener. A discussion of the deepest aspirations of the poet is resumed on occasion over four decades. Rabindranath Tagore speaks of his fragmentary encounters with truth and the poetry of Creation, and of a continuous adaptation to the world. An essentially philosophical quest becomes intelligible in the context of his own poetry and other writings and through reference to his life and times.

`Atmaparichay' is a searching reflection on the creative process by a man who remained creative till the end of his life. Fame did not blind the inner sight; he 'fashioned from the fire' the ever-renewing gift of his art. These essays present a rare engagement with life, so that we have, if not an autobiography, then the essence of it. And through all this the glimmer of a unity and a direction can be seen.

Published originally in 1943, `Atmaparichay' appears now in English for the first time It has been translated from the Bengali by Devadatta Joardar and Joe Winter.

**Contents and Sample Pages**