Critical Essay | Critical Review by Times Literary Supplement

Critical Review by Times Literary Supplement

SOURCE: “Indian Tales,” in Times Literary Supplement, April 18, 1918, p. 183.

The following review offers a negative assessment of Tagore's Mashi and Other Stories.

The publication of this book [Mashi and Other Stories] proves that Sir Rabindranath Tagore is now a popular author. “Translated from the original Bengali by various writers,” the little stories that it contains have, as none will need to be assured, their charm; but, were it not for “Gitanjali,” for Chitra, and for “Sadhana,” they would scarcely have won paper and cloth and the labour of the press in days when all are as scarce as now. The implication is that the author of them—so few years ago a morsel for epicures!—is now a writer in the fashion.

Well, no matter what he puts forth in English, he cannot cloud the memory of the joy that rose from the first readings of Gitanjali nor detract...
(read more)