Rabindranath Tagore Quartet Chaturanga

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

About the Book Tagore's Chaturanga (Quartet) is a short novella set in 19th century Bengal. The philosophical questions which are raised in the course of the story make this one of his most complex and metaphorical works. A social novel centered on four characters, it raises pointed questions about religion and atheism, dabbling in the complex hues of the man-woman relationship. Published in 1916, this novel is considered a landmark in Bengali literature.

The story revolves around the four pivotal characters with just one woman in the midst of three males. And the protagonist Sachis-the most tormented soul-is torn between natural human longings and a forced imposition of spiritual emancipation. It is a struggle between the form and the formless. Subtle psychological interpretations of the minds of the characters lead relationships from the physical to the mystical and draw the reader to look beyond the apparent, deeper into the workings of the human mind.

Quartet, the present translation of Chaturanga, lends a contemporary flavor to the novel. It successfully brings out Tagore's profound understanding of the human subconscious, without sacrificing the underlying playfulness in the language and the unique style of the original work.

About the Author Former Director, National Book Trust, and former Director, K.K. Foundation, New Delhi, Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee was the Editor Sahitya Akademi's prestigious journal Indian Literature. He taught comparative literature English literature Jadavpur University and Gauhati University of career.

Prof. Bhattacharjee was Editorial Consultant of the Multi-volume Documentation Project of the Rashtrapati from 2013 2016. An accomplished translator from Bengali English and vice versa, English translations writings Mahasveta Sunil Gangopadhyay, Manik Bandyopadhyay and Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay have all been well received. He also translated Kannada short story collection of U.R. Anantamurthy and Marathi novel Viswas Patil Bengali in collaboration with original authors. Recipient the best translator's award from IBBY Congress held London 2012, Prof. Bhattacharjee edited collection stories of displacement from Assam (Barbed Wire Niyogi Books) co-edited Best of Indian Literature (1957-2007), published by the Sahitya Akademi.

Introduction Chaturanga (Quartet) was first published in book-form in 1916. Before that the four chapters of the novel were serialised in the magazine, Sabujpatra in 1915 under the tiltles, 'Jyathamashay', 'Sachis', 'Damini' and 'Sribilas'. The first chapter was written when Tagore was travelling in Allahabad and Delhi in December, 1914. The second chapter was partly written in Santiniketan and partly in Surul. The third and fourth chapters were completed in Surul in 1914-15. On 26 December, 1914, in a letter written to Monilal Gangopadhyay from Santiniketan, he mentions, This place is not at all conducive for writing.... There are constant obstacles.' And in a successive letter to the same person, he writes, 'I fled Santiniketan for writing the story and had come to Surul. Hopefully I will be able to complete it by day after tomorrow."

The first English translation of Chaturanga was published in The Modern Review in four consecutive issues (Feb-May, 1922), under the title 'A Story in Four Chapters' I, II, III and IV. Unfortunately, the name of this translator is still unknown.

**Contents and Sample Pages**