Modernism and Tagore

Modernism and Tagoreis a major critical attempt that tries to evaluate Tagore's literary genius in the background of modernism which according to the author chiefly consists in a single-minded preoccupation with the body of poetry with the consequent belief in the self-sufficiency of language and in an oppressive and overwhelming consciousness of evil in the world. The author tries, following the great poet's own view of criticism, to understand the way in which the world expresses itself in the body of Tagore's poetic creation. He examines how the poet moves from romantic effusion and melancholy to the self-possessed tranquility of divine love and fro there towards Western humanism on the one hand and to a realization of the gracious aspect of the terrible on the other.

About the Author

Abu Sayeed Ayyub who started his career as a teacher of Philosophy in the Presidency College, Calcutta and in Calcutta University later joined Visva-Bharati. For ten years he edited Quest and for a while, taught at Melbourne University. Adhunikata-O-Rabindranath his first work of literary criticism in bookform was instantly recognized by scholars as a masterpiece. Winner of Rabindra Puraskar, Abu Sayeed Ayyub has authored two other volumes of critical writings in Bengali and two volumes of essays in English. His translations of Ghalib into Bengali were published in 1975.

About the Translator

Amitava Ray the Translator of the volume was educated at the University of Melbourne. Writer and researcher, he is the author of five books the latest being Blue Ponies (1994).

**Contents and Sample Pages**