Arvind Krishna Mehrotra Knihy

Reputed to have been compiled by the Satavahana King Hala in the second century CE, this is a celebrated collection of 700 verses in Maharashtri Prakrit, composed in the compact, distilled gatha form. The anthology has attracted several learned commentaries and now, through Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's acclaimed translation of 207 verses from the anthology, readers of English at last have access to its poems. The speakers are mostly women and, whether young or old, married or single, they touch on the subject of sexuality with frankness, sensitivity and, every once in a while, humour, which never ceases to surprise.

The collection features a unique blend of everyday observations and historical reimagining, bringing figures like Ghalib and Abd al-Rahim Khan-i-Khanan to life through an intimate lens. Mehrotra's exploration of personal artifacts and letters from his Lahore home adds a layer of immediacy and nostalgia, transforming history into something both familiar and surreal. This first new poetry collection in twenty-five years captures the essence of time and memory with a distinct and poignant voice.

The collection showcases Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's poetry spanning from 1969 to 2016, blending the ordinary with the extraordinary and intertwining autobiographical elements with the fantastical. Significant attention is given to his translations from various Indian languages, which comprise a third of the volume. The anthology includes selections from notable works like The Absent Traveller and Songs of Kabir, featuring contributions from poets across two millennia, illustrating the rich tapestry of Indian poetry.

Shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry A one-of-a-kind collection of work by one of India's best contemporary poets. Arvind Krishna Mehrotra is one of the most celebrated Indian poets writing in English and an important translator from Indian languages, but until now his work has rarely been available in the United States and Britain. Mehrotra’s poetry combines the commonplace and the strange, the autobiographical and the fabulous, and reflects an intense and original engagement with American poetry, especially the work of William Carlos Williams and the Beats. This book provides a comprehensive picture of Mehrotra’s achievements as a poet and translator and includes a striking new poetic sequence.