Rabindranath Tagore
Bengali poet, songwriter and the first non-European Nobel laureate in literature.
Compiled from encyclopedias and other published sources. I haven't checked every detail myself.
- Born
- 7 May 1861, Calcutta
- Died
- 7 August 1941
- Known for
- Poetry, songs, stories, novels and paintings
- Recognised
- Nobel Prize in Literature, 1913
Overview
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, writer, composer and painter. In 1913 he became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the prize was linked to his book of poems Gitanjali.
He wrote more than two thousand songs, known as Rabindra Sangeet. He also wrote the words of the national anthems of both Bangladesh and India.
Why he is remembered
His poems, songs and stories are still read and sung across Bengal, and many Bengali families mark his birth anniversary each year.