The novel recounts the love story of Amit Ray living in Kolkata in the 1920s. Though he is a barrister educated at Oxford his main interest lies in literature. Never afraid to speak his mind, he is always ready to challenge society's pre-established knowledge and rules regarding literature, equal rights, and so on. While vacationing in Shillong, he comes upon a governess named Labanya in a minor car accident. Amit's iconoclasm meets Labannya's sincere simplicity through a series of dialogues and poems that they write for each other.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West."
Tagore modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic strictures. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics political and personal. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works, and his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed鈥攐r panned鈥攆or their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla.
The complete works of Rabindranath Tagore (唳班Μ唰€唳ㄠ唳︵唳� 唳班唳ㄠ唳Σ唰€) in the original Bengali are now available at these third-party websites:
I'm not quite sure what to make of Farewell Song. Even more so than usual with Tagore, I feel myself stranded on alien shores, uncertain of what I鈥檓 missing. The tone of the novella escapes me. Tagore is clearly toying with the line between irony and sincerity, literary pretension and profundity. But where, precisely, is the line drawn? Am I meant to take the romance of this novella seriously? Or is it all affectation? Or is it all affectation and nonetheless serious? Our hero鈥攊s he a hero or an ass or both? And what of the constant meta references to Tagore himself? The protagonist鈥攚hose poetry, which may or may not be tongue in cheek, enlivens the novel鈥攅xplicitly positions himself in opposition to Tagore, the literary celebrity. Is this a joke? If so, at whose expense?
I suspect the answers to all these questions would be clearer if only I read Bengali and had a real sense of its literary history. Alas. Still, Farewell Song is well worth reading, even if I found it far less immediately captivating than Tagore鈥檚 The Garden or The Broken Nest. Even on a surface level, it is a beautifully written story sprinkled with lovely poetry. There are moments when the humor sparkles, and moments when it hits in an ugly way that feels intentional (colonialism, dependence and independence are constant themes鈥攖here is a political heft here, which again, I fear eludes me in its particulars). But even a reader as ignorant as I can appreciate a glimpse through the fence at beauties inaccessible.
Tagore鈥檚 鈥楾he Last Poem鈥� is a real treat to read. He wrote this novel at the later stage of his life but the rhythm is as usual and which is always reflected from his writings. It鈥檚 a love story between Amit and Lavanya. The plot had been sketched in the beautiful hill station of Shillong. The protagonists met because of a small motor accident and soon they found an intense chemistry between them. They discovered philosophy through their poetry. 鈥楾he last Poem鈥� is a very modern story. The way he (kobiguru) described the emotions, feelings and love in the story is absolutely incredible. Sometime I do wonder how someone can sketch the protagonists so closely to life without being part of them. But then I also realize that is what 鈥楰obi-guru RN Tagore鈥� is all about. The imagination touches the highest level through his creation. His realization for the world and universe is beyond our imagination. The story ends but it鈥檚 really not, still feel the characters running around back of mind. Amazing realization indeed.
A beautiful love story set in the hills of Shillong. The book is full of erudite conversations between the lovers, Amit and Labanya, and also other characters. Many poems on various themes are also presented. The story started well, got better and better and ended on an impressive note. I don't often read romance stories. I only read this story because it's written by Rabindranath Tagore and I liked it very much. In fact I look forward to his other romantic works.
P.S. - The author had inserted himself in the story as Robie Thakur. He doesn't make a physical appearance in the story though. Amit and Labanya often discoursed about Tagore's works. Amit is open about his dislike for Tagore's works, while Labanya is very fond of his writings.
The first time I read Shesher Kobita- probably 15 to 16 years back, it seemed to me that it was nothing more than an average-rated book. However, unknowingly, I felt interested in reading it- again. Then I started reading it- again, and I read it 4- times at a stretch. The more I read the book, the more I felt that there was something more in the depth. Still, today, whenever I get a chance, I open the book on any page and read it, and I get the same feeling again and again.
An amazing and exceptional book is the one that you feel to re read once again from the 1st page after you have completed it. It is a very rare feeling which occurs to any reader after reading a book and Tagore's "The Last Poem" is one such gem. It is a saga, an epic love story. Tagore has brilliantly weaved poetry with prose and made every page of the book beautiful. The novel is deep, witty and extremely romantic. It is the type of book that will linger in the minds of the readers for long. The character of Amit is wonderfully etched out as we turn the pages of the book. His character of an eccentric, moody, poetic romantic soul metamorphoses to a matured, responsible, calm minded person. Similarly, the character of Lavanya which begins with a reserved, studious, strong hearted girl soon changes into a fragile, soft hearted romantic woman who craves for love. Amit and Lavanya complimented each other beautifully in the book as their camaraderie and moments helped each other to overcome the weaknesses they had.The two souls met each other in Shillong, fell in love, helped each other rediscover their inner self and then parted with a smile to settle down with different individuals. When Yati asked Amit whom he actually loves, I loved the metaphor used by Amit: "What binds me to Ketaki is love, but this love is like water in a vessel.I'll draw it and use it everyday. My love for Lavanya is like a lake, which can't be brought home in a vessel. My mind will swim in it." The last poem is definitely the most poignant poem out of all the verses used in the book. It was thought provoking, touching and heart wrenching at the same time. The lines that touched me the most are: "Grieve not on my account, Wide is the world with many tasks. My cup is not discarded Shall fill again- Let this sustain me forever. I may yet be blessed If there be one eager heart Waiting for my footsteps. I long to give myself to him Who can see the compassion of love The actual me, a blend of good and ill Who can light up the dark night With flowers plucked in moonlight."
The translator Dilip Basu has done a great work and the illustrations of Dinkar Kowshik added beauty to the book. I know I will surely read this book time and again as this is surely not a one time read. Lastly, I take a bow to convey my respect to Rabindranath Tagore, the genius.
Wanted to read the Hindi translation, but couldn't get it anywhere and had to settle for English. Enjoyed the transcreations from which did an excellent job. Rich prose, having a filmy love story, albeit unconventional with a different level of emotions and understanding. Wish I could comprehend the poetry parts in Bengali, as translations strip them off their magical wordplay.
Some noteworthy quotes....
On culture and education: "The crude stone from whence the glittering diamond is cut is education. The luminous light that sparkles forth is culture. The stone lends weight, the light gives illumination."
Against feminism: "The party with the shackles fetter the bird in chains. The ones without manacles, bind through opium, in other words through deceit and delusion. The shackler ties you down but does not beguile. The opium vendor places you under control and also misleads. The female case is filled with opium, nature being the evil supplier."
On punctuality: "It befits the ones who have loads of time on their hands to be punctual. God鈥檚 hourglass contains eternity, hence the sun rises and sets right on time. Our tenure is limited, it is extravagant for us to waste time by being punctual."
Okay, I finally read Shesher Kobita. It took me a long time to pick up the book for I was daunted by the difficulty of the language. And that's exactly why it took me over a month to complete reading this fantastic book.
Now, what a book! It's more than just a love story. The dialogues between the lovers were culturally and ideologically rich alongside being romantic (which, by the way, may seem a little corny at this point in time). Some of the concepts discussed are way ahead of its time. The depth of the words made me reread certain portions at times, marveling at the sheer genius of Rabindranath.
One complain I have is that the similes and metaphors used sometimes felt forced or unnecessary. Of course it enriched the reader experience for me, leaving me gawking at the pages speechlessly, but at times it seemed that the usage of similes and metaphors was excess in quantity.
All that being said, I loved reading Shesher Kobita. I guess it's time for me to pick up Nouka Dubi.
An outstanding read, I am so glad that I came across this book and what a read. I am out of words!!!! This novel, written by Tagore during the last few years of his life, is the story of Amit, a lawyer in Calcutta, and Labonya, a librarian and teacher in Shillong. They meet while he is on vacation, and fall in love. What adds beauty and sizzle to this story is Tagore's use of his skill with words to sparkle the conversations between these two lovers. At the end of the story, these lovers break off their engagement and go their separate way. What is ageless about this mundane turn of events is the mystery surrounding their breakup and the last poem by Labonyo where she puts down in words the pain of losing Amit and her enduring love for him. A true masterpiece!