A History of Indian Poetry in English

by Rosinka Chaudhuri (Editor)

Overview

A History of Indian Poetry in English explores the genealogy of Anglophone verse in India from its nineteenth-century origins to the present day. Beginning with an extensive introduction that charts important theoretical contributions to the field, this History includes extensive essays that illuminate the legacy of English in Indian poetry. Organized thematically, these essays survey the multilayered verse of such diverse poets as Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, Rabindranath Tagore, Nissim Ezekiel, Dom Moraes, Kamala Das, and Melanie Silgardo. Written by a host of leading scholars, this History also devotes special attention to the lasting significance of imperialism and diaspora in Indian poetry. This book is of pivotal importance to the development of Indian poetry in English and will serve as an invaluable reference for specialists and students alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781316481981
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Rosinka Chaudhuri is Professor in Cultural Studies at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. Her books include Gentlemen Poets in Colonial Bengal: Emergent Nationalism and the Orientalist Project, Freedom and Beef Steaks: Colonial Calcutta Culture, and The Literary Thing: History, Poetry, and the Making of a Modern Literary Culture.

Table of Contents

1. The first Indian poet in English: Henry Louis Vivian Derozio Manu Samriti Chander; 2. English poetry in India: the early years Suvir Kaul; 3. From Albion's exile to India's prodigal son: the English poetry of Michael Madhusudan Datta (1824–73) Alexander Riddiford; 4. Transforming late Romanticism, transforming home: women poets in colonial India Mary Ellis Gibson; 5. The locations and dislocations of Toru and Aru Dutt Tricia Lootens; 6. Poetry of the everyday: comic verse in the nineteenth century Maire ni Fhlathuin; 7. Toru Dutt and 'An Eurasian Poet' Arvind Krishna Mehrotra; 8. Rabindranath translated to Tagore: Gitanjali Song Offerings (1912) Rosinka Chaudhuri; 9. Literary editors and the periodical press: John Grant and David Lester Richardson (the India Gazette and the Calcutta Literary Gazette) in Calcutta, 1820–40 Dan White; 10. The writer's workshop, Calcutta, 1958 onward Ananda Lal; 11. Mumbai's own poets' collective: clearing house Jerry Pinto; 12. Little magazines, bilingualism, and the culture of poetry: Bombay, 1950 onward Antjali Nerlekar; 13. Ezekiel: poet of a minor tradition Amit Chaudhuri; 14. Dom Moraes: a poet's progress Jeet Thayil; 15. Interpretive testimony: Kamala Das and Eunice de Souza R. Raj Rao; 16. Adil Jussawala and the double edge of poetry Laetitia Zechhini; 17. Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and the interplay of languages Peter McDonald; 18. Arun Kolatkar: a singular poetry in two languages Rajeev Patke; 19. Imagery and imagination in the poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra Ashok Bery; 20. Modernisms and modernity: Keki Daruwala and Gieve Patel Graziano Kratli; 21. The third generation: Manohar Shetty and Melanie Silgardo Sharanya Murali; 22. 'My first, and only, sight': A. K. Ramanujan and the five senses Nakul Krishna; 23. US based but India born: G. S. Sharat Chandra and Vijay Seshadri Ravi Shankar; 24. First and foremost… a poet in the English language: Agha Shahid Ali Hena Ahmad; 25. The languages of diaspora: Meena Alexander, Sujata Bhatt Lopa Basu; 26. The poetry of my contemporaries: contexts for an Indian English poet in the nineties Vivek Narayanan; 27. Our speaking English voice: a voice that speaks for us? Anjum Hasan.

Editorial Reviews

'A compendium of essays tracing the history of Indian poetry in English, Chaudhuri’s book is unique in its meticulous presentation of information and analysis of poets, from the 18th through the 21st centuries.' P. Venkateswaran, Choice

From the Publisher