Songs of Ecstasy: Tantric and Devotional Songs from Colonial Bengal - Hardcover

The material put forth by Urban in this volume will be of interest to those interested in the dynamics between religious traditions and the rise of colonialism, along with students of poetry, tantra, Vaishnavism in Bengal and those engaged in Subaltern studies. As a book primarily of translated poetry, the work is solid and informed. The translations are clear, expressive, and sensitive in diction and style. Although endowed with an informative introduction, this volume, is best appreciated when read in the context of its companion, The Economics of Ecstasy. Chicago South Asia Newsletter

This work offers an English translation of a body of highly esoteric, mystical poetry and songs associated with the Khartabhajas - a Bengali sect devoted to Tantrism, an Indian religious movement that employs deliberately shocking sexual language and rituals. The period from the late 18th to the early 19th century, during which these lyrics were written, was an era of change, experimentation, and transition from the older medieval styles to the new literary forms of "modern" Bengal. The highly original songs presented here are an important part of this transitional period, reflecting the search for new literary forms and experimentation in new poetic styles.