• ISBN13: 9788126910786
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Atlantic
• Publication Date: May 22, 2009
• Pages: 152
• Original Price: INR 395.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 180 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): General

The current revival of interest in Indo-Anglian literature can be attributed to the changed atmosphere of the post-Independence era. Indo-Anglian writers are now studied with pleasure and profit, both in India and abroad, side by side with their English and American counterparts. Of all the Indo-Anglian authors, Toru Dutt stands out as a poet. A Hindu by birth and a Christian by education, this illustrious daughter of Bengal wrote with restless energy of a haunted creative writer, like Keats, while waging a grim yet heroic battle against her delicate health. Within a span of three years she produced four literary volumes, besides long illuminating essays, letters and translations of speeches in French. Toru Dutt’s contribution to Indo-Anglian literature as a whole is noteworthy. She was perhaps the first Indian writer to handle English verse with ease and command. Her poetry, though not in substantial bulk, is of permanent value. The present study analyses Toru’s total poetic output and establishes her as the pioneer spirit of Indian English poetry. The events having a direct bearing on Toru’s poetic prowess and psyche have been taken into account to ascertain her position in Indo-Anglian literature. It makes a detailed assessment of her poetic work and traits, and seeks to justify the stand of eminent critics like Sir Edmund Gosse, H.A.L. Fisher, James Darmesteter, Edward Thompson, Harihar Das and many others, who are unanimous in their opinion that in matters of chronology and quality, Toru is at the head of Indo-Anglian poets. The book will prove useful to the students and teachers of Indian English poetry and researchers in this field.

K.A. Agrawal, M.A. from Lucknow University and Ph.D. from Meerut University, Meerut, started his career as a Lecturer in English in 1967. At present, he is a Reader in English at Gurukul Kangri University, Hardwar (Uttarakhand). Dr. Agrawal has contributed a large number of research papers, articles and reviews to prestigious journals of India. He has published more than two dozen books on English and Indian English literature. He has also edited two books on Swami Shraddhananda Saraswati entitled Socio-Political Observations of Swami Shraddhananda and Editorial Observations of Swami Shraddhananda. He has co-edited two books—Swami Shraddhananda Ki Samkalin Tipanniya and Reflections on Indian Writing in English. He has also edited ten anthologies of critical essays on Indian English literature. Some other books edited by him include: Indian Writing in English: A Critical Study; Spectrum of British Literature; Spectrum of American Literature and Dimensions of Indian English Literature. He has organized a couple of seminars on Contemporary Indian English Literature. Dr. Agrawal has participated in a number of national and international seminars and conferences, and contributed research papers in them. He has been the editor of the Vedic Path (Gurukul Kangri University’s quarterly English journal).

• Preface
• 1. The Dawn of Indian English Literature
• 2. The Pioneers of Indian English Literature
• 3. Contribution of Dutt-Family to Indian English Literature
• 4. A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields
• 5. Toru Dutt’s Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan: A Critique
• 6. Mind and Art of Toru Dutt
• 7. Cultural Sensibility in the Poetry of Toru Dutt
• 8. Toru Dutt: The Pioneer of Indian English Poetry
• Bibliography