This is a biography of Rabindraneth Tagore who won the Nobel Prize in 1913, the first of only two Asian writers to do so. Today he is highly regarded in Bengal. He perceived that the ancient polarities of East and West would be compelled to meet in the 20th century. An educational, social, political and religious reformer, he wrote poetry, short stories, novels, essays and plays, and he painted and composed songs. This book focuses on the man, not his art. It highlights those of Tagore's works that have universal appeal and that illuminate his complexity and his myriad-mindedness.