Selected Short Stories

'The poem I had planned to write on the banks of the Ganga was never written. But it materialized in my life.'

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Nobel Laureate and polymath, is one of the most eminent Indian writers of world literature. This volume presents new English translations of twenty of his short stories. Taking in a wide variety of registers (comedies, tragedies, the mundane and the fantastical), the selection showcases Tagore as one of the earliest practitioners of the short story genre in the Bengali language, influenced by both Indian and Western traditions. In particular, Tagore added a unique style of his own to Western conventions of the short story form, allowing him to present the everyday in literary vignettes, seamlessly weaving in the rhythms of daily life, unfolding in rural landscapes. The stories also offer social critiques--of colonialism, dowry, and immolation of widows. A highly sensitive and thoughtful observer of life, Tagore's vision transcends regional boundaries, embracing a universal humanity that resonates across cultures, while never denouncing a deep indigeneity.

These authoritative translations by a team of expert scholars are accompanied by Sumit Chakrabarti's introduction, reflecting on the literary and historical implications of Tagore's stories.

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Rabindranath Tagore

Sumit Chakrabarti is Professor in the Department of English at Presidency University, Kolkata, India. His areas of expertise include nineteenth-century Bengal, intellectual history, and postcolonial and cultural studies. His most recent monographs include The Calcutta Kerani and the London Clerk in the Nineteenth Century: Life, Labour, Latitude (2021), and Local Selfhood, Global Turns: Akshay Kumar Dutta and Bengali Intellectual History in the Nineteenth Century (2023). He has also edited and annotated a collection of rare nineteenth-century texts in Bangla titled Unish Shataker Keranikatha: Sotik Kerani Darpan o Kerani Puran (2021).

Aparna Chaudhuri is Assistant Professor of English at Ashoka University.


Barnita Bagchi is Chair and Professor of World Literatures in English at the University of Amsterdam.

Brian A. Hatcher is Packard Professor of Theology in the Department of Religion at Tufts University.

Fayeza Hasanat teaches at the English Department of the University of Central Florida, USA.

Kunal Basu is an author and translator.

Saikat Majumdar is an author and translator.

Sohana Manzoor is a Bangladeshi writer and academic.