Book Description

Perhaps the most versatile of modern creative artists, Indian or Western, not excepting T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence, Tagore doubtless offers us a fairly profound and elaborate aesthetic theory, though, of course, he does not write about art and literature with the deliberate intention of a writer of aesthetics. From a systematic, close study of his pronouncements and cogitations on art and literature, scattered in his variegated writings, emerges an aesthetic philosophy, which is absolutely invaluable to apprehend and appreciate his creative mind as well as the Indian and Western arts and literatures. Much of the finest of the Indian and Western aesthetics has been retouched and modernised by him, and to this he has contributed considerably by dint of his original mind. Hence the need and justfication for a book such as this. There is almost a plethora of critical studies on the various aspects of Rabindranath Tagore’s mind and art. But, curiously enough, only a little attempt has hitherto been made to assimilate and assess his theory-statements on art in detail. This paucity of work further necessitates a thorough exploration of this subject. The present book is an attempt to meet this need. A comprehensive study of Tagore’s aesthetics, the book, it is hoped, will surely help the reader to understand Tagore, art and literature correctly.