Rabindranath’s letters ón Russia, written during his travels, are a running commentary on men and affairs, vividly topical and full of descriptive details of the Soviet Russian scene which enhance his fundamental statement of reactions to one of the greatest experiments in human civilization. Warmly sympathetic and therefore critical, these rapid transcripts of the poet’s reflections are not only a record of an exciting phase of world history but are of perennial significance because they link up with urgent problems of national reconstruction in India and in the East and thus provide a standard of comparative evaluation, as well as a perspective for the future. These letters, warm with a sense of adventure and high expectation, will be a link between continents of mind because they provide a basis of companionship and understanding in an age of conflict; and the additional material regarding the poet’s tour in Soviet Russia, incorporated in this book, will help the reader to visualize the entire background.
