Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Rupa Reprints Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson's Biography of Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore was a very famous poet from India who wrote poems, songs, essays, and plays.
A long time ago, two writers, Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson, wrote a big book about his whole life.
For a while, the book was hard to find, but now a company called Rupa Publishers is printing it again.
The book tells about Tagore's family and shows old photographs of him.
It also includes letters he wrote and speeches he gave.
There is a chapter about the disagreements between Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi.
Tagore wrote hundreds of songs, called Rabindrasangeet, that people still sing today.
His songs are played in schools, in movies, and at festivals.
Two countries in South Asia even use his songs as their national songs.
Reading this book helps us understand why Tagore's ideas still matter.
A biography of Rabindranath Tagore by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson, long out of print, has been reprinted by Rupa Publishers.
The book contextualizes Tagore's life and works within the larger social, economic, and political world of his times.
It draws on archival materials including letters, speeches, essays, and evocative family photographs.
The chapter 'The Great Sentinel (1932-33)' explores the political differences between Gandhi and Tagore.
Tagore's music, Rabindrasangeet, is sung in schools, used in films, and is the national song of two South Asian countries.
- Who
- Rabindranath Tagore is the subject of a biography written by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson and reprinted by Rupa Publishers.
- What
- A biography of Rabindranath Tagore that had been out of print has been reprinted, covering his life, writings, and times.
- When
- No specific publication date is given; the article notes the book had been out of print for some time before the reprint.
- Where
- The reprint is published by Rupa Publishers in India; the biography concerns Tagore's life in Bengal and South Asia.
- Why
- To bring the poet to a larger English-reading audience and reflect sustained global interest in Tagore.
Tagore: The Poet-Philosopher
Gandhi: The Philosopher-Politician
Approach to politics and nationalism
Tagore: The Poet-Philosopher
Tagore, described in the book as a poet-philosopher, saw politics as an integral part of his eclectic worldview shaped by the pulls of colonial modernity and tradition.
Gandhi: The Philosopher-Politician
Gandhi, described as a philosopher-politician, held political differences with Tagore, which the chapter 'The Great Sentinel (1932-33)' explores.
- Book
- Biography of Rabindranath Tagore by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson
- Publisher
- Rupa Publishers
- Subject
- Rabindranath Tagore, poet, song maker, and essayist
- Notable chapter
- 'The Great Sentinel (1932-33)' on political differences between Gandhi and Tagore
- Tagore's music
- Rabindrasangeet, sung in schools and used in commercial and art films
- National songs
- Tagore's songs serve as the national song of two South Asian countries
- Sources used
- Archival letters, speeches, essays, notes, and photographs
- Reviewer
- A teacher at IP College, University of Delhi