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marigold_bookshelf 's review for:
The Home and the World
by Rabindranath Tagore
The Home and the World has been my first contact with the work of Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the eminent Bengali novelist, poet, and playwright and composer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
The novel is set in Bengal in the early 20th Century, during political tumult as the British partitioned Bengal and the swadeshi movement was gaining ground, whereby Indians were encouraged to produce and use their own goods and boycott British imports to promote Indian Independence. It was written in Bengali and translated to English by Tagore’s nephew.
The three main protagonists form both a love triangle and opposing views regarding what the future of India should look like and how it should be achieved, each taking turns to narrate the story from their own point of view. Nikhil is an educated noble landlord, opposed to violence. He marries Bimala, and unattractive woman from a humble background who initially expresses deep love and admiration for her husband. Their relationship and domestic life are upturned with the arrival of Sandip, a revolutionary who stays with them as a guest whilst he leads the adoption of swadeshi and violent opposition against the British rule. Bimala soon comes under the influence of Sandip’s views and charisma and starts to take part in the swadeshi movement.
It is a dramatic story with many interesting aspects to it: the role of women in society (ie outside of the home), the nature of marriage, the conflict of love and passion, the use of violence against injustice, the world of ideals and morals (Nikhil) versus that of passion and realism (Sandip).
It is said that the book deals with the conflicts that Tagore himself felt over the acceptance of western values and culture. It was a fascinating read which left me wanting to explore more of Tagore’s work.
The novel is set in Bengal in the early 20th Century, during political tumult as the British partitioned Bengal and the swadeshi movement was gaining ground, whereby Indians were encouraged to produce and use their own goods and boycott British imports to promote Indian Independence. It was written in Bengali and translated to English by Tagore’s nephew.
The three main protagonists form both a love triangle and opposing views regarding what the future of India should look like and how it should be achieved, each taking turns to narrate the story from their own point of view. Nikhil is an educated noble landlord, opposed to violence. He marries Bimala, and unattractive woman from a humble background who initially expresses deep love and admiration for her husband. Their relationship and domestic life are upturned with the arrival of Sandip, a revolutionary who stays with them as a guest whilst he leads the adoption of swadeshi and violent opposition against the British rule. Bimala soon comes under the influence of Sandip’s views and charisma and starts to take part in the swadeshi movement.
It is a dramatic story with many interesting aspects to it: the role of women in society (ie outside of the home), the nature of marriage, the conflict of love and passion, the use of violence against injustice, the world of ideals and morals (Nikhil) versus that of passion and realism (Sandip).
It is said that the book deals with the conflicts that Tagore himself felt over the acceptance of western values and culture. It was a fascinating read which left me wanting to explore more of Tagore’s work.