The Wreck

by Rabindranath Tagore

-The Wreck (1921) translation by Tagore of his Bengali novel Naukadubi (1906) is based on the dilemma of mistaken identity resulting in an exchange of wives. Delightfully told and interspersed with descriptions of nature of extraodinary loveliness it is full of action and powerful human interest. Through this novel Tagore suggests the rift between the reformist and progressive Brahmosamaj and traditional conservatism of Hinduism. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that after Gitanjali it is one of his most widely translated novels. According to Krishna Kripalani a perceptive critic, The Wreck has an ingeniously constructed story unburdened with philosophy and not ending on a tragic note.