This is the first English translation of a collection of 62 sonnets discovered in an exercise-book twenty years after Das' untimely death in a tramcar accident. These sonnets are imbued with a deeply tragic sensibility, "the touch of tears in mortal things", and with a scent of unrequited love. Written, according to the poet's brother, "under the influence of a certain emotion", these sonnets achieved instant popularity when first published, becoming a totemic symbol of freedom in Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence. Das captured the country's heart and soul in these exquisite evocations of village life and natural beauty.
Jibanananda Das (1899-1954), "the loneliest poet," was one of the Indian subcontinent's greatest writers, the modernist heir to Tagore.
Joe Winter has previously translated a selection of Das' verse, published by Anvil Press in 2003 as Naked Lonely Hand.
