“At present then I am resolved to read and reflect more and produce less.” — Manmohan Ghose | V2Melody

“At present then I am resolved to read and reflect more and produce less.”

A concise statement of his belief that reflection and learning should precede artistic production · Letter to Laurence Binyon, Oxford period

About Manmohan Ghose

Manmohan Ghose

19 January 1869–4 January 1924

In the annals of Indian literature, few figures occupy a position as quietly significant yet fundamentally pioneering as Manmohan Ghose (19 January 1869 – 4 January 1924), one of the earliest Indian poets to write substantially in English. Born in Bhagalpur in Bengal, Ghose's life represents a fascinating narrative of…

More by Manmohan Ghose

Poems by Manmohan Ghose

More remarks by Manmohan Ghose

“I ask now for calm, for a self-centred collected soul, for patient powers of thought and expression.”

Expressing a desire for inward discipline, intellectual patience and creative concentration · Letter to Laurence Binyon, Oxford period

“Love is as necessary to me as to every other human being. I may imprison myself in solitude and devote every hour to calm cultivation yet without this the richest gains of mind will in the end seem as dust.”

Insisting that intellectual achievement cannot compensate for the absence of human affection · Letter to Laurence Binyon, March 1889

“I am still writing verse, but have done nothing worthy to send you... I sincerely doubt whether I should ever write a poem of any length.”

A revealing moment of artistic self-doubt from a poet still developing his voice · Letter to Laurence Binyon, Oxford period