In his Introduction to this volume, Harish Trivedi says that Kunwar Narain is probably the most highly regarded Hindi poet alive today. Both Trivedi and Apurva Narain emphasise how deeply the poet has read Indian literature from its Sanskrit roots to now. As an outsider to Indian culture I’m not in a position to judge Narain’s learning or cultural sophistication by his references, but they are both continuously reflected in his urbane tone, the lightness of touch with which he deploys complex suggestions and ideas, and the modest sense of proportion with which he sets personal feelings and experiences in … Continue Reading