Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) - poet, philosopher, painter, novelist, playwright, composer, traveler, political commentator and Asia's first Nobel Laureate - was one of his era's cultural icons: the 'Great Sentinel', said Gandhi. His works reshaped Bengali literature, music and thought and had a profound and lasting impact on the West. He was feted by some of the most prominent and influential artists, writers and political leaders and equally adored by ordinary men and women across the world. Proclaimed as the greatest poet India has ever produced, Tagore left an astonishing legacy undimmed nearly 70 years after his death.But he was also an enigmatic, complex and contradictory figure, torn between India's spiritual values and the spirit of the West. In this definitive biography, Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson explore the man behind the myth, presenting the power of his person, the power of his name and the power of his work, revealing Tagore's personality in all its myriad-mindedness. The result is an enlightening and exquisitely rendered portrayal-not of the legend but, to quote Tagore, of 'the figure that once moved.'

Foreword by: Anita Desai