Bengali Folk Poets: Beyond the ‘Superstition of Modernity’ – Haroonuzzaman
Conventional Bangla poetry has remained enshrouded in the 'superstition of modernity' propounded mainly by our purported 'educated' urbanized class. The ostensible educational system and its associated pride has paved the way for creating the mental barrier which led to the alleged divide of the history of our literature and culture which attach more value to…...
First They Came for the Poets – Bishnupriya Chowdhury
One month into the civil war, he was hunted down by the military. They said, the poet did more damage with his pen than one man with a gun. He was shot immediately after. Thirty years would pass before this death would get reported by the government...
Weird Birds and an Assessing ‘I’: Some Thoughts on Alokeranjan Dasgupta’s Poetry – Hans Harder
Alokeranjan Dasgupta’s poetry is both fascinating and difficult. There is no passe-partout, or general key, for decoding it – not because it lacks codes, but rather because the codes themselves are not fixed and seem in continuous flux. His poetry is playful and oscillating to a high degree, and in a way constantly redefines itself...
Bijan Elahi and the Rise of Sufi Experimental Poetry in Persian – Mahdi Ganjavi
July 7th marks the birthday of Bijan Elahi (1945-2010), a modernist, experimental poet who has posthumously acquired a position in Persian modern poetry that only a few canonical poets, like Nima Youshij (1897-1960), Ahmad Shamlou (1925-2000), and Forough Farakhozad (1934-1967), have previously achieved. Unlike these poets, Elahi chose to live in relative seclusion for over…...