Refractions of Kabir and Tulsidas in Post-Independence Hindi Literature

Kabir and Tulsidas are two key figures of Indian society and culture. The names of these poets will be quite familiar, especially to Indian readers.  Indeed, it would be difficult to find a single connoisseur or a student of North Indian languages who is not at least partially acquainted with the poetry of these two classic authors of Indian devotional literature. Less explored is the reception of these poets by Hindi literary authors who, during the 20th century, have contributed to re-shaping and re-imagining these historical figures for the new needs of independent India. In fact, the literary image of classics is not stable, but is constantly re-negotiated through fluctuations, articulations and expansions. These articulations become useful instruments to re-adapt the individual and collective self during periods of historical transition. Based on these assumptions, the present book seeks to contribute to the ongoing debates on these poets by analyzing in a sinoptic way the uses, adaptations and refractions of these two poets in post-independence Hindi literary production.