good books always let you enjoy all your life. who do not want a beautiful around you? even sometimes the spirit of the book could make you defence the difficult situation of the life and refresh you when feel very tire and disappointed for what happened in your life. I just like it and will read it again and again to rich myself. thank you for reading my writing and hope this world become better and better with the help of good books, good poems like what Tagore did here.

Margaret Grierson, archivist at Smith College, wrote of the jewels in this collection from 25 centuries and 5 continents, on the Art of Living, Freedom from Oppression and the Natural Way, by LAO TSU, haiku, and Persian poets. With index by authors and original languages, which are often included with the English translations: the Greeks and Romans (Pericles and Robert Kennedy share a page on war); Isaiah and Palestinian poets and JFK speak of the children. Antonio Machado and a Japanese proverb remind us that "we make our own way as we go...se hace camino al andar", Rabelais says laughter is the essence of man while Camus turns a corner to discover the beauty of morning dew. A Finnish proverb says "when you drink the water, think of the well", while the Russian version says "remember the well-digger." Harlan Ellison (script writer of one of the memorable Star Wars scenarios) gives the worst case scenario for the world, against which Eluard's Seasons and Asian wisdom from Persia and the far East shine, while Thomas Hardy reminds us, in planning, to take a good look at the worst. Listen to Cervantes: La musica compone los animos descompuestos ~ Music restores broken souls and lightens the worries of the mind. Heed the advice of a Nigerian proverb: The biting fly gets no satisfaction on the back of a turtle. Scott Momaday and other native Americans wisely propose what it takes to make a beautiful day. 3rd edition now includes e.e.cummings, Thoreau, Wordsworth, Paul Eluard.

Tagore, the definitive master of poetic prose, demonstrates his sublime literary sensibilities yet again in this beautiful tale set in Bengal sometime in the late nineteenth / early twentieth centuries. Originally published in Bengali under the title of "Naukadubi" (which means boat-wreck), this novel tells the story of how the capsizing of a boat carrying a wedding party across the river Ganga in a storm changes the lives of the two main protagonists of the story for ever. Tagore's writing is superlative, especially in dealing with love, melancholy and exquisite descriptions of nature, and this novel brings forth those qualities vividly.

A prolific Bengalese writer, Tagore structured this novel such that three main characters represent the turbulence of the Partition that was yet to come to India in 1947. Nikhil is married to Bimala, living in the traditional domestic manner; for herself, Bimala has no expectation of her life ever deviating from her wifely path. The concept of "Swadeshi", a renewed appreciation of everything Indian, and a denial of everything British, particularly British imported goods and grains, rages throughout the country. The egocentric Sandip, a guest in Nikhil's home, is a fierce proponant of Swadeshi. Sandip finds himself passionately attracted to Bimala; he idealizes her as the epitome of "Mother" India, and pursues Bimala without reservation. Flattered by Sandip's attention, Bimala begins to question the nature of her marriage, and the three embark upon an emotional journey that will forever alter their lives, just as India begins a lengthy period of upheaval and unrest. Of the three, Sandip is transparantly shallow, while Nikhil thoughtfully considers every aspect before embarking on a course of action. Both men indulge in lengthy discourses, but the introduction by Anita Desai does much to frame this novel in the appropriate perspective. The allegorical nature of this tale is evident as the characters plunge headlong into the future.

This book is largely a parable about the conflicts in Bengal in the early twentieth century. Tagore uses a triangle of husband and wife and outside suitor. Bimala, the wife is a sort of central figure as the novel largely revolves around her conflicting feelings towards both her husband Nikhil and Sandip. She feels excited by Sandip's passion but also has a bond with her husband. Nikhil is the reserved and dignified religious man who is not swayed by the mob mentality that was sweeping through the Bengal state. Sandip is the passionate, xenophobic leader pushing for the immediate gain. The narrative is written threefold. All three characters take turns telling the story from their own point of view. This is an interesting effect that adds dimension to the tale. Tagore obviously feels empathy towards Nikhil but he refrains from being too judgmental toward Sandip. Bimala becomes the most sympathetic character simply because she faces the most ambivalence in the book. There are many blatant political overtures in this book but I find that it works well as human drama as well. You needn't be knowledgeable about the conflicts in India to appreciate the moral dilemmas presented in this tale. Reading this book made it easy to understand why Tagore was awarded a Nobel Prize.

One aspect that non-Indian readers will completely fail to realise is the boldness with which Tagore used to weave his imagination based on stark solid reality. Tagore was socially ostracised for his depiction of the passion (always cloaked and shrouded in the garbs of the civilsation, norms of the society) of an honourable aristrocatic married lady, which acts as the metaphor for the passions the society was undergoing in those turbulent days of political upheaval against the British Empire. A brilliant picture of the torment of the human character caught in the web of desire of ecstacy and quest for contentment, peace and bliss, this narrative draws a beautiful parallel to the miopic frenzy of the mob in its quest for subversion with the destructive consequences of unbridled passion, and an individual's attempt to bring harmony and order in the chaos, attaining salvation. Technically brilliant, this disturbingly beautiful tale is another of Tagore's timeless creation.

I aw the movie first and loved it and wanted to read the book. The book was just as funny and original as the movie, although slightly different.
Some of the scenes were a little different or longer in the book and I liked that. Other things were explained more in the novel which I was glad. Reading the trials and tribulations of a singleton thirty-something with boss problems and men problems and a little mix of mom and dad problems was a refreshing read from the usual fare of 'chick lit' I have been running across.
Alot of authors are trying to recreate the magic of Bridget Jones, but they fall short of the witty and most oftentimes hysterical turns of Ms Jones's life.
Bridget is unhappy with her weight, her job, her boss, her lovelife and her bad habits(drinking too much wine and smoking). Determined to do something about it after New Year's disasterous turkey curry buffet with her mom and dad and their friends, she sets herself up for a year of hysterical twists and turns that lead her into the next Christmas wondering what went wrong.
Written in diary format, we see everything from her point of view and how she thinks and operates. The secondary characters of Shazzer and Jude, Sharon, Daniel, Mark Darcy and Vile Richard(also in the movie) make many appearances in the book and add humor and many hours of laughter.
Well worth the read!!!

I recently reread this book (just prior to seeing the movie), and it was just as must a "fun" read as it was two years ago. (The movie, however, is another story.) Though I am no longer a "singleton" myself, I do remember what it was like, and boy did I never have as many misadventures as Bridget!

Reading this novel is like having an enjoyable vicarious experience (which is exactly what you'd expect from a good novel), even though sometimes you'd prefer not to be living Bridget's life. This isn't feminist (nor anti-feminist) bashing -- it's just escapism set in the life of a slightly neurotic and highly insecure single woman in her thirties. The fact that Helen Fielding has made us all like Bridget inspite of all her sitcom-ish predicaments, all the more makes me regard this book as one of the most enjoyable books that I have read in quite some time.

i know, i know, it's not as lofty a pursuit as jane austin, but hardly was jane austin in her day. can relate to bridget jones way too much and too funny for words. i admit it, despite my better judgement (i.e. a friend made me do it!) i saw the movie first... and loved it. had wanted desperately to read the book because of friends recommendations, but somehow didn't have the time (or was i too lazy?) ... absolutely hilarious and now have read both the book and its fabulous sequel too many times than i care to acknowledge. as shallow as it may seem, plight of knowing every last calorie count for even obscure food, cigarette count, and weird friend advice hit straight home... remarkably with a wit and humor very few couldn't find zany and witty. couldn't put this book down. have made nearly every last person i know read the book and everyone agrees that bridge is a winner. wonderfully written, absolutely human, funny and endearing... bridget, we need a third book! warning: finishing this book and sequel will leave you searching stacks of books for similar novels... fear that, very few of them actually live up to bridget.

if possible. This is just a collection of mushy, sentimentalist garbage ... and if you are not Indian (or Bengali), please ... dont buy this thinking it will give you any accurate idea of Indian life and society at any given point in time. I have never understood why Tagore has such a reputation as a writer of novels and short stories ... stick to his music and art (which ARE terrific) and avoid this stuff at all costs.

Having the advantage of being a native from Bengal, I could relate to the tragedies expressed in the stories. The characters are highlighted by their uniqueness and yet so typical of the period, region culture and customs - all so brilliantly portrayed. I must point out the marvellous job done in translation. It is very difficult to keep intact the sense of each context when translating and it will never be possible to reflect the stories in its entirety in a translated form. Nevertheless, I felt this was as close as one could get. Tagore is undoubtedly a great poet but what amazes me is how he brings out the poet in anyone who reads his stories or poems. The appreciation does not end with reading his works but endures in your perceptions from then on.

Rabindranath Tagore is best known for his Bengali devotional songs, which were translated to English as poetry. His most famous book of poems, Gitanjali, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. However, Tagore also wrote short stories which reflect the people, customs, social structure, turmoil, and relationships of the times in which they were written. When the stories were written, Tagore lived on a houseboat. He watched the ebb and flow of life in villages along the river. He captured the essential features of Bengali village life. He saw the caste system, the inequality, the struggles and limitations imposed on people. He wrote about the realities he witnessed. He saw that women were treated as second class citizens, despite their intelligence and talents. He witnessed death as a part of life, when antibiotics had not yet been developed, infections killed children and adults alike. Orphans remained to be raised by next of kin. Tagore manages to capture teh feelings and emotions of the disenfranchised, the poor, and the helpless. His stories are often haunting and eery - the reader gets the feeling for where the stories are leading but suddenly an unexpected twist can change the outcomes. Whatever the theme or topic, Tagore maintains a spiritual awareness or presence in all his stories ... he is sensitive to the innocent, the vulnerable, the unprotected ones in society. His characters have unique personalities. He describes family relationships and explores prescribed roles and society's expectations. He also reveals what happens when people challenge their roles and fall outside behavioral norms. Although the stories were written in the 1890s, the message Tagore conveys has meaning in modern times.
Expressions of love, respect, and decency toward one's fellow human being are universal, therefore Tagore will be held in high esteem by future generations, just as he has been revered by past and present readers. The content of his stories are not bound by space or culture, they are spiritual and therefore timeless. Erika B. (erikab93)

I was very disappointed in this translation. Bringing the language into modern form distorted the meanings and lost the beauty and simplicity of the original. I recommend Gitanjali if you want to experience real Tagore.

Most of the poems in this book were translated by Tagore himself with the help of Yeats. On the Shores of Eternity complements rather than replaces Gitanjali. Especially interesting are the fragments from Tagore's notebooks which are not in Gitanjali. E.g. "Words cling to the dead like dust / Silence washes their souls." Tagore's poetry still shows him to be a worthy recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature.

On the other hand, I was not impressed by the introduction by Chopra ... whether it is helpful to you will depend upon your background in mysticism and literature. He makes too much of Tagore's friendly relationship with death - St. Francis wrote of "our Sister Bodily Death". Tagore's mysticism is in the long tradition of the collective world - east or west - his uniqueness is the superb poetry in which he shares his experience; this is not the emphasis of the introduction. But who cares - the poems are well worth pausing over.

This book begins with a narrative written by Dr. Chopra. His words were humble as he noted that he dared to tamper with the wisdom of Tagore. When I passed through his words and started reading the poetry of Tagore, I was mesmerized. The poetry is not really about death, but the immortality of life which begins each day when the eyes are opened and ends each day with the onset of sleep. It is a book which addresses how we, as humans, can look at what is going on around us and then decide what choice(s)to make. What is so incredible is that, each day, we are given the chance to make new choices for the same old problems. (Just like in the movie GroundHog Day starring Bill Murrey.) The trick is to selectively forget how yesterday's choices were unsuccessful and painful as we accept, within our bones, not our minds, our new choices. Conversely there are those of us who refuse to allow the beauty of a successful choice to preceed us as we broadcast our success(es) in bright primary colors. In our glee, we stamp out the memory of that natural process which allowed us to step into the universe and be filled with the knowledge which is aready there; knowledge which is just patiently waiting to be used.

Hi Readers, I'm thrilled to be here on Amazon.com and to share my views directly with you. Rabindranath Tagore, the first Indian recipient of Noble Prize in literature, is synonymous with hs world renowned,'Gitanjali'.Very few knew his novels, which were originally written in Bengali and translated into English. My book contains a comprehensive critical analysis of his novels with special emphasis on the women characters, as evidenced form the title. Tagore depicts the Indian society especially the women of his period i.e. the late nineteenth century and the first three decades of twentieth century. He shows the reapid progress of Indian women from being mere dumb housewives in themale dominated Hindu society to revolutionaries fighting for Indian freedom from th British rule. The has attracted favorable reviews from literary journals like 'Indiian Journal' and National dailes like'The Hindu', Madras. I believe that the book attract the general reader as well as who specialises Indian Writing in English.