Indian · 1861–1941
Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913—the first non-European laureate—for "Gitanjali," a collection of spiritual poems he translated into English prose. The Bengali polymath wrote novels, plays, essays, and songs; he composed the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh. Tagore founded a university and painted prolifically. His influence on Indian culture is immeasurable.