abstract

Rabindranath Tagore’s reputation around the world has been shaped not just by the literary brilliance of his work, but also by how it has been translated and received. While winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 certainly boosted Tagore’s visibility on the international stage, his place in world literature remains a bit of a paradox-he’s celebrated, yet often critically limited. This paper delves into how translation practices, Indian aesthetic traditions, and the formation of postcolonial canons have all played a role in shaping the global perception of Tagore’s writings. By drawing on theories of world literature, postcolonial criticism, and Indian aesthetics, the study posits that Tagore’s English translations helped his work reach a wider audience, but also restricted the ways in which it can be interpreted. By placing Tagore within different modern contexts and transnational literary networks, this paper aims to reclaim his importance as a cosmopolitan writer whose work pushes back against Eurocentric literary standards. The study adds to ongoing discussions in world literature by highlighting the need for diverse evaluative frameworks when engaging with non-Western literary traditions.