| Bengal the Beautiful Contributor(s): Das, Jibanananda (Author), Winter, Joe (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0856463906 ISBN-13: 9780856463907 Publisher: Anvil Press Poetry OUR PRICE: $14.36 Product Type: Paperback Published: August 2006 Annotation: This is the first English translation of a collection of 62 sonnets discovered in an exercise-book twenty years after Das' untimely death in a tramcar accident. These sonnets are imbued with a deeply tragic sensibility, "the touch of tears in mortal things," and with a scent of unrequited love. Written, according to the poet's brother, "under the influence of a certain emotion," these sonnets achieved instant popularity when first published, becoming a totemic symbol of freedom in Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence. Das captured the country's heart and soul in these exquisite evocations of village life and natural beauty. Jibanananda Das (1899-1954), "the loneliest poet," was one of the Indian subcontinent's greatest writers, the modernist heir to Tagore. Joe Winter has previously translated a selection of Das' verse, published by Anvil Press in 2003 as "Naked Lonely Hand," |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Poetry | Asian - General - History | Asia - General |
| Dewey: 891.447 |
| Physical Information: 0.25" H x 6.3" W x 9.26" (0.31 lbs) 80 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In these poems infused with a scent of unrequited love, the great Bengali poet Jibanananda Das captured his country's soul through evocations of village life and natural beauty. Written in 1934, the sixty-two sonnets - discovered in an exercise-book twenty years after Das wrote them - achieved instant popularity on their posthumous publication in 1957, becoming a totemic symbol of freedom in Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence. This is the first English version of the complete collection, which was given its title Rupasi Bangla' by the poet's brother who edited it for publication. Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) was born and raised in rural Barisal. He taught English in Calcutta, Delhi and Barisal. Periods of unemployment, and an unfulfilling marriage, made for an uneasy life. He is now magically popular in his native land, second only to Tagore himself. Born in London in 1943, Joe Winter taught English before taking early retirement. He has lived in Calcutta since 1994. Anvil has published his selection of poems by Jibanananda Das, Naked Lonely Hand', his translations of Rabindranath Tagore's Song Offerings' (Gitanjali) and (with Devadatta Joardar) Of Myself' (Atmaparichay), and his Calcutta poems Guest and Host'. |