Critical Response To Indian Poetry In English

Contributed papers at a writers' workshop held in Calcutta, West Bengal.

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Indian poets who wrote in English—a small middle class minority—were divided from the regional language poets by more than language for long. The English poets had a selected readership, were known unto themselves, in academic circles if they were widely published, but were looked down upon with a kind of derision by regional writers. However, the scenario has changed now. From English being spurned as a colonizer’s tongue that was nobody’s language, it has now become everybody’s language with English medium schools, English movies, ads, soaps and serials. For a generation living in a global village, genuine readership and appreciation of English poetry is no longer an encumbrance. This book, in its second edition, continues to educate the students with diverse and thought-provoking essays that vary from personal to argumentative to objectively discursive English literature and to those who are genuinely interested in Indian English poetry. The Fourteen poets selected in this anthology are Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Toru Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh, Sarojini Naidu, Jibanananda Das, Nissim Ezekiel, Jayanta Mahapatra, A.K. Ramanujan, Arun Kolatkar, Rajagopal Parthasarathy, Kamala Das, and Dilip Chitre. The poets included are all on the syllabi of major universities in India.

The Present Book Contains A Varied Selection Of Essays Ventured Upon As Exercises In Critical Evaluation Of Texts That Are Relevant In The Existent Literary Context. These Essays Are Certainly Not A Random Pick For Each Of The Works Chosen For Analysis, Whatever Be The Genre Of Writing, Represents The Literature In English Produced By The Native Writers Of A Particular Country. The Two Major Literatures In English Are Indisputably Those Of England And America But There Are Many Other Countries Like Africa, Australia, India And Pakistan Whose Authors Chose To Write In English Because They Felt That English, Despite Being An Alien Language, Would Better Verbalize Their Creative Urge And Lend Itself To An Exploration Of The Immense Possibilities Therein. Most Of The Authors Taken Up For Study In This Book Are Those Who Belong To The Fraternity Of Indian English Writers, Namely Mulk Raj Anand, Shashi Deshpande, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Mahesh Dattani And Manju Kapur. Catering To A Revival Of Interest In The Partition Of India As A Theme In Fiction Are Two Essays Which Deal With The Issue. Other Write-Ups Are On Works (Some In Translation) By Native Writers Of Hitherto Marginalized Countries That Have Now Chosen To Aggressively Assert Themselves Through Their Respective Literatures.The Book, Comprehensive And Rich In Its Contents, Is Highly Informative And Would Prove An Asset To Those Interested In The Diverse Manifestations Of Literature In English. It Would Be Of Particular Appeal To Those Who Wish To Explore The Works Of Indian English Writers Of Repute.

This anthology of essays maps the divergent issues that have become relevant in contemporary Indian English poetry and drama. By providing a clear idea about the new themes, techniques and methods used by the Indian English poets and playwrights to address the issues emerging in the changing socio-cultural scenario, particularly during the post-globalization period, the essays offer insightful observations on canon formation and its reception. It is high time to consider afresh whether the canons of Indian English poetry and drama have widened their scope to include innovative forms of writing or whether they have evolved significantly to generate novel perspectives. These questions, which are linked with the issue of canon formation and its reception are intricately woven into the fabric of these essays. This anthology will respond to the scholarly interests of inquisitive students, research scholars and academics in the field of Indian English literature.

The Present Book Contains Some Fact-Finding Critical Essays Devoted To Some Of The Literary Stalwarts Of Indian English Literature, Such As, Sri Aurobindo, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand, Kamala Markandaya, Arundhati Roy And Manoj Das. A Modest Attempt Has Been Made To Go Deep Into The Problem And Offer Text-Based Criticism. These Articles Have Been Written To Stimulate A Genuine Desire In The Readers For Deeper Studies In Indian English Literature.This Book Is Expected To Be Of Considerable Interest And Use To The Students As Well As The Teachers As The Critical Articles Throw More Light On Some Of The Unexplored Areas Of Studies.