Toru Dutt: The Pioneer Spirit of Indian English Poetry A Critical Study

The Current Revival Of Interest In IndoAnglian Literature Can Be Attributed To The Changed Atmosphere Of The PostIndependence Era. IndoAnglian 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 IndoAnglian 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 Dutts Contribution To IndoAnglian 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 Torus Total Poetic Output And Establishes Her As The Pioneer Spirit Of Indian English Poetry. The Events Having A Direct Bearing On Torus Poetic Prowess And Psyche Have Been Taken Into Account To Ascertain Her Position In IndoAnglian 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 IndoAnglian Poets. The Book Will Prove Useful To The Students And Teachers Of Indian English Poetry And Researchers In This Field.