Contents
Rabindranath Tagore
Writing Gitanjali and songs that became two national anthems.
Bengali literature · Nobel Prize in Literature
- Born
- 7 May 1861
- Birthplace
- Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
- Died
- 7 August 1941
More people
Rabindranath Tagore
A Bengali writer, composer and educator whose work ranges from poetry and fiction to songs, painting and educational reform.
Early life
Creative household
Grew up in the Jorasanko family home in Calcutta.
Young poet
Began writing poetry in childhood and publishing while still young.
Career
- 1870s
Literary beginnings
Published poems and stories.
- 1901
Educational project
Founded a school at Santiniketan.
- 1913
International recognition
Won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1921
University founder
Established Visva-Bharati.
Selected work
Gitanjali in English
His English versions brought his poetry to new readers.
Jana Gana Mana
Song later adopted as India’s national anthem.
Amar Shonar Bangla
Song later adopted as Bangladesh’s national anthem.
Beyond work
Public conscience
Renounced his British knighthood after the 1919 Amritsar massacre.
Painting
Developed a substantial visual-art practice later in life.
Sources & photo credit
Biographical reference ↗Nobel Prize: Tagore’s writing and translations ↗Photo: Georges Chevalier. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
