Shyama Prasad Ganguly has done research on the subject since decades, and no other person could have brought together essays from so many authors and of such a variety of topics… A review by Martin Kämpchen
The reception Rabindranath Tagore was given in Spain has two defining moments. One, from 1915, the leading Spanish poet of his time, Juan Ramón Jiménez, took it upon himself to translate from English twenty volumes of Rabindranath’s work. This is without parallel anywhere. Two, when that same poet invited Rabindranath to Spain in 1921, he agreed, made preparations, postponed the visit several times, then fixed the date ~ and scrapped the visit a day before his expected arrival. It was a triumphant reception that was not to be. The entire cultural life of Spain slumped into a depression.
These two moments also dominate the book under review. It has two sections: The first is a reprint of a special number on Tagore of the journal Hispanic Horizon published in 1986-87; the second section collects essays which emerged from the celebrations of Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary in 2011. The first section unfolds the various aspects of how Rabindranath and the Spanish cultural élite connected and formed an emotional bond based on an assumed similar mentality. It is justified that Jiménez’ wife, Zenobia Camprubí, is honoured with a full article as she, when still a mere admirer and friend of Jiménez, introduced him to Rabindranath. It was she who did the first version of each translation after which Jiménez shaped with his poetic genius. I am also delighted to read the erudite essay on "Jiménez and Tagore" by Sisir Kumar Das, that doyen of Indian Literature who remains an unsung hero. It is of course a must that Victoria Ocampo’s link with Rabindranath is examined in three essays.
The second section is introduced by a brilliant essay written by the British Tagore scholar William Radice on "How Rabindranath Tagore Became Global and Spanish". It breaks new ground with a comparison of the Spanish painter Goya with Tagore’s "dark paintings". The book is edited by Shyama Prasad Ganguly, professor emeritus of the Centre of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Latin American Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has done research on the subject since decades, and no other person could have brought together essays from so many authors and of such a variety of topics.
The reviewer is a Tagore scholar, based in Santiniketan
The Kindred Voice: Reflections on Tagore in Spain and Latin America
Edited by Shyama Prasad Ganguly
Centre of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Latin American Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 2011, 221 pp.