2 h 46 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A river, a houseboat, a passing boatman: how much of life can a poet find in ordinary things?
In Glimpses of Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore writes from the river country of eastern Bengal, where he manages his family's estates. His houseboat carries him along waterways, including the Padma. These letters turn toward village landings, sunsets and the people along the banks, giving everyday sights room to hold your attention.
Most letters are addressed to his niece Indira, a close companion who shares his love of music, books and conversation. Their warmth brings you near a poet thinking aloud. Rather than public events or a driving plot, you find rural lives, changing seasons and a mind that keeps looking closely.
What you’ll discover
- Life on the river Follow Tagore's gaze across Bengal's waterways, where passing boats and village landings draw his attention.
- People along the banks Meet farmers, fishermen, boatmen and tenants through a poet's close attention to their everyday lives.
- Nature as a companion Spend time with monsoon clouds, heavy rain, autumn skies and the still heat of summer.
- A friendship in letters Discover the warmth between Tagore and Indira, joined by books, music and conversation.
- A mind at work Watch ordinary sights become occasions for thought as Tagore looks closely and writes with warmth.
Who will love it
For readers who love personal letters, nature writing and observant portraits of village life, and anyone curious about Tagore beyond his poems and songs.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A poet sent to manage estates
- The river is the main character
- Quiet lives along the banks
- Nature as companion and teacher
- Letters between uncle and niece
- How the letters were made into a book
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 2 h 46 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Aperçus du Bengale in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Aperçus du Bengale
by Rabindranath Tagore · 1921
From a houseboat in Bengal, Tagore's letters reveal rivers, village life and the ordinary scenes that shape a poet.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Glimpses of Bengal is a book of letters by Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He wrote them in the years around 1890, when he was a young man in his thirties.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A poet sent to manage estates
The estate years are central to the letters. He was born in 1861 into the Tagore family of Calcutta, a household famous in the city for its music, theatre, reform and writing. Yet around 1890 his father sent him away from that busy world to look after the family lands in eastern Bengal. The estates lay in places such as Shelidah, Patisar and Shahzadpur, in what is now Bangladesh.
For a young city poet this was a strange posting. He had to deal with accounts, tenants, rents and disputes. He travelled from one estate office to another, and often he lived on a houseboat moored along the rivers. The boat became his study, his bedroom and his window on the countryside.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Aperçus du Bengale
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Glimpses of Bengal about?
It is a selection of Tagore's letters from the early 1890s, written mostly from a houseboat on the rivers of eastern Bengal. They describe nature, village life, the seasons and his own thoughts, and were sent largely to his niece Indira.
Who was Indira in Glimpses of Bengal?
Indira Devi was Tagore's niece, the daughter of his elder brother Satyendranath. She was close to him in age and shared his love of music and books. Most of the letters in the book were addressed to her.
Is Glimpses of Bengal a true story?
Yes. It is made of real letters Tagore wrote while managing his family's estates in eastern Bengal around 1890. The English selection was published in 1921, and the letters give a firsthand view of rural life of that time.
The author
Rabindranath Tagore
1861–1941 · Bengali poet and philosopher
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was a Bengali poet and writer born in Calcutta, British India, where he also died. He lived in Bengal and founded a school at Santiniketan in 1901. He wrote poetry, stories, plays and essays. His Bengali collection Gitanjali appeared in 1910; his English version appeared in 1912.
More by Rabindranath Tagore
All 8 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
