Raja (play)
Raja (Bengali: রাজা) (also known as The King of the Dark Chamber in the English translation) is a play by Rabindranath Tagore written in 1910.[1][2] This play is marked as a symbolic play as well as a ‘mystic play’.[2] The story is loosely borrowed from the Buddhist story of King Kush from Mahāvastu.[1] A short stage version of Raja was published under the title of Arupratan in 1920.[1]
The theme of the play is "the secret dealing of God with the human heart."[2]
Reception
[edit]Sukumar Sen described Raja as "the first really symbolic drama by Tagore."[1]
The play became one of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's favourite books; he found in it an expression of his own religious ideal.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Sen, Sukumar (1979) [1960]. History of Bengali Literature (3rd ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 279–80. ISBN 81-7201-107-5.
- ^ a b c Ghosh, Sisirkumar (1990). Rabindranath Tagore. Makers of Indian Literature (1st ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 66. ISBN 81-260-1994-8.
- ^ Monk, Ray. "The Reluctant Professor". Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius.
External links
[edit]
The full text of The King of the Dark Chamber at Wikisource
