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Rabindranath Tagore

ラビンドラナート・タゴール

Rabindranath Tagore

Aliases: Bhanusimha / Gurudev / Rabindranath Thakur
Pen Names: Bhanusimha（Used in early years for poetic publications; at times presented as a supposedly lost classical poet.）, Gurudev（Honorific sobriquet used by admirers and disciples.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1861-05-07 （Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India）
Died
1941-08-07 （Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India） age 80
Nationality
British India (modern India)
Languages
Bengali, English
Religion
Brahmoism / Brahmo Samaj
Residence History
Jorasanko (Calcutta) → Shelaidaha (present-day Bangladesh) → Santiniketan (Bolpur) → Brighton, England → London (short stays)

Career

Occupations
poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, composer, painter, philosopher, social reformer, educationist, linguist, grammarian
Active Years
1877-1941
Affiliations
Royal Asiatic Society (Fellow), Visva-Bharati University (founder)
Memberships
Royal Asiatic Society
Influenced By
Vyasa and classical rishi authors, Kabir (Bhakti–Sufi poet), Lalon Shah (Baul folk tradition)
Influenced
Satyajit Ray (film director; adapted Tagore's works), Amartya Sen (philosopher/economist influenced by Tagore's thought), Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral (influenced via translations)

Education

Public school near Brighton (brief)
Period: 1878（短期）
Country: United Kingdom
Sent to England with intent to study law but left without a degree; pursued independent study.
University College London (brief attendance)
Period: 1880（短期）
Country: United Kingdom
Attended briefly to read law but did not obtain a formal degree.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
1913
Work: Gitanjali (selected translated poems)
Organization: Swedish Academy
Result: 受賞
Knighthood (later renounced)
1915
Organization: British Crown
Result: 受与（1915）、1919年に返上

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gitanjali (Song Offerings)

1910 poetry collection

A collection of spiritually infused poems about nature and the relation of the self to the universe. Its English translations brought Tagore international acclaim and contributed to his 1913 Nobel Prize.

spiritualitynatureself–universe relationshipinner quest
Translations
  • English (partial translations by Tagore and others)

Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World)

1916 novel

A novel set against the Swadeshi movement that explores conflicts between personal ethics and political ideology.

critique of nationalismindividual vs. nationpolitics and ethics
Adaptations
  • [film] The Home and the World / Satyajit Ray (1984)
Translations
  • Multiple English translations

Gora

1910 novel

A major novel interrogating Indian identity, religion, and selfhood amid colonial social and religious tensions.

self-identityreligion and societyeffects of colonialism
Translations
  • Available in English translation

Jana Gana Mana

1911 song (national anthem)

A poem–song by Tagore later adopted as the national anthem of India.

homeland praisesolidarity and hope

Bibliography

  • Gitanjali
  • Manasi
  • Gora
  • The Home and the World
  • Collections of Rabindra Sangeet

Adaptations

  • Nastanirh → Film 'Charulata' (dir. Satyajit Ray, 1964)
  • Ghare-Baire → film by Satyajit Ray (1984)
  • Chokher Bali → multiple film adaptations

Translations by Author

  • Gitanjali (partial English translations by Tagore himself)

Translations of Works

  • Gitanjali (translated into English and many other languages)
  • Numerous English translations of novels, stories and essays

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and philosophical poetic stylecolloquial, accessible prosemix of naturalistic description and symbolic imagery
Recurring Motifs
nature (rivers, birds, seasons)spiritual questinner self (moner manush)love and solitudeconflict between society and individual

Health

  • Color vision deficiency (probable protanopia)
    晩年（60歳以降に絵画活動が活発化した時期）
    Likely influenced his painting palette and led to atypical color schemes.
  • Chronic ill health; prolonged illnesses with periods of unconsciousness (from c.1937)
    1937–1941（特に1937年末と1940年の長期療養）
    Intermittent interruption of creative work and deepening of introspective, somber themes in late works.

Legacy

Tagore profoundly shaped Bengali literature, music, and education and achieved international recognition for his poetry and thought. His legacy endures in public culture, including contributions to the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.

Museums

  • Rabindra Bharati Museum (Jorasanko) Jorasanko, Kolkata, India
  • Rabindra Bhavan Museum (Santiniketan) Santiniketan, India
  • Tagore Memorial Museum (Shelaidaha) Shelaidaha, Bangladesh

Academic Societies

  • Visva-Bharati University
  • various international literary and translation study groups

Archives

  • Visva-Bharati University archives
  • Rabindra Bharati University / Jorasanko collections

In Popular Culture

  • Satyajit Ray's documentary 'Rabindranath Tagore' (1961)
  • Tagore festivals worldwide (recitals, music, performances)
  • Numerous film and stage adaptations of his works

Quotes

  • Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; where knowledge is free...
    Source: Gitanjali (1910)
  • Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
    Source: Stray Birds, verse 292 (1916)

Trivia

  • Wrote the songs that became the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.
  • One of the first Asian writers to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913).
  • Founded Visva-Bharati University and championed progressive education.