Small Press Exoticism: Rabindranath Tagore and the Late Arts and Crafts Movement

Abstract: In 1912, Rabindranath Tagore launched himself into international fame with the publication of his first English-language poetry collection, Gitanjali . This article considers Tagore’s rapid rise to celebrity status in England within the context of the publishing networks he was part of at the time, focusing especially on his relationships with small presses that sought to assert the value of literary and artistic traditions in colonized nations through the production of expensive, limited-edition books. These presses initiated a distinct style, which I refer to as small press exoticism, and which I argue was catalyzed by the popularity of Tagore’s writing.