#worldliterature

[authorsreport]

English Literature?... Who else but the legendary Shakespeare!

Meanwhile English Literature:

Mark Twain

Jane Austen

RK Narayan

Leo Tolstoy

Rabindranath Tagore

Mulk Raj Anand

Kalidas

Horace

Ovid

Iliad

Plautus

Sophocles

A. K. Ramanujan

Sarojini Naidu

Rohinton Mistry

Marlowe

Geoffrey Chaucer

Edmund Spencer

Arthur Miller

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ernest Hemingway

Walt Whitman

Emily Dickenson

John Milton

Alexander Pope

Agatha Christie

Franz Kafka

Virginia Wolf

Salman Rushdie

Fyodor Dostoevsky

JD Salinger

James Joyce

[kobiamu58]

Nobel Laureate 2009 Herta Müller

Herta Müller is celebrated for her profound literary contributions that explore the themes of oppression, displacement and survival under totalitarian regimes. Two of her most acclaimed works are "Niederungen" (Nadirs) and "Atemschaukel" (The Hunger Angel).

Müller has criticized the inclusion of former collaborators with oppressive regimes in literary institutions, such as her withdrawal from the German PEN Center in protest of its merger with the former East German branch. She also criticized the Nobel Prize being awarded to Mo Yan, arguing he "celebrates censorship."

[aftaabmagazine]

An Encounter with Poetic Brilliance

An Encounter with Poetic Brilliance

Wasef Bakhtari's Introduction to Qahar Asi's collection of poems "Alone, Yet Everlasting"

Translated from the Farsi by Farhad Azad 

AftaabMag.com | Spring 2024 

This is Wasef Bakhtari's (1943-2023) introduction passage to Qahar Asi's collection of poems "Alone, Yet Everlasting" تنها ولی همیشه. 

- - -

An Encounter with Poetic Brilliance

The thirteen years that have passed deserve scrutiny from various perspectives, including the viewpoint of poetry, this inseparable fellow of nations. We had thought or perhaps even persuaded ourselves that the era of arbitrary compliance and the reign of tyrants was over. Yet, we saw what happened in our poetry with open eyes but closed memories.

There was a time when Mahmud of Ghazni would urge his court poets to pen odes, for instance, about the conquest of Somnath. Alas, this tradition of panegyric poetry continued into our time, with the difference that the poems of Unsuri, Farrukhi, and Asjadi were masterful, intricate, and radiant like Mahmud's crown. However, the products of the flattering pens of our time's poets are unsightly and decaying, like a beggar's bowl.

But don't think that our poetry was entirely like this. There were also pioneers of liberty in these years who refused to let the unpurified enter the hallowed temple of poetry and wreak havoc in this realm.

And amid these years, Qahar Asi, with his rebellious soul and rural pride, set foot in the arena of our ear's poetry. In my opinion, his advancement in this area was a momentous event.

Asi began his poetic journey by composing two couplets: a song for lovers' souls and one for farmers and shepherds. Then, he adopted the forms of rubaiyat and ghazal, drawing from the ever-abundant harvest of the rebellious drinkers of the bitter draught of pain and burners of the sweet flame of serenity poets of Nishapur and Shiraz.

–Wasef Bakhtari, Kabul, 1991

- - -

Reflections on "An Encounter with Poetic Brilliance" 

By Farhad Azad

Critique of Regime 

The phrases "blind obedience," "reign of oppressors," and the reference to poetry's fate align with the political climate and cultural restrictions imposed by the communist regime that came to power after the coup of April 1978. Here, Bakhtari aims at the regime that promised to dismantle Daoud's one-party system in the name of equality, merely perpetuating the cycle of dogmatic indoctrination.

Striking is the surprising openness of the work, written and published in 1991 by the Ministry of Information and Culture printing press in Kabul. The regime's belated attempts at self-reform after thirteen years of experimentation proved futile; within a year, it would collapse, and the Islamists would ascend to power under UN auspices.

Panegyric Poetry 

Panegyric poetry is a formal style that extravagantly praises its subject, often using exaggerated language and vivid imagery. While potentially seen as overly flattering, it provides valuable historical and cultural insights into the values and aspirations of different societies.

Panegyric Poetry in the Court of Mahmud of Ghazni

The famous scholar and historian al-Biruni (973-1048) documented Mahmud of Ghazni's (r. 998-1030) destruction of the Somnath temple in Gujarat, India, a sacred site for Hindus. Mahmud of Ghazni, known for maintaining a court of poets, commissioned works from them, including verses in his praise, such as panegyric poetry. 

Unsuri, Farrukhi, and Asjadi were prominent Farsi poets who lived during the Ghaznavid era (late 10th to early 11th centuries). They were part of the court of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, a powerful ruler who patronized arts and literature.

Unsuri Balkhi: He was considered the poet laureate of Mahmud's court and is known for his panegyric qasidas (odes) praising the sultan and his military exploits. His poetry is characterized by its ornate language, elaborate metaphors, and hyperbolic praise.

Farrukhi Sistani: He was another celebrated poet of the Ghaznavid court, known for his vivid descriptions, elegant style, and mastery of various poetic forms. His qasidas often depict battles, landscapes, and courtly life with a keen eye for detail.

Asjadi was a younger contemporary of Unsuri and Farrukhi, who was also associated with the Ghaznavid court. His poetry is admired for its emotional depth, philosophical reflections, and lyrical beauty. He wrote in various genres, including qasidas, ghazals (lyric poems), and rubaiyat (quatrains).

These poets played a crucial role in establishing the panegyric tradition in Farsi poetry, which became a dominant genre in subsequent centuries. Their works provide valuable insights into the Ghaznavid era's history, culture, and literary landscape.

A panegyric verse by Unsuri: 

شاه حبش است زلفت ای بدر منیر

از عنبر تاج دارد از لاله سریر

تو شسته همی کنی گل سرخ بقیر

من شسته همی کنم بخوناب زریر

Your locks are the king of Abyssinia, oh radiant moon 

With a crown of ambergris and a throne of tulips

You wash the red rose with musk

As I wash my armor with the blood of Zariir

Zariir is a heroic warrior in the Shahnamah. This Unsuri verse, likely praising Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, contrasts the beloved's opulence with the poet's harsh warrior life, subtly elevating the ruler as a source of beauty and peace while depicting the poet and warriors as loyal, self-sacrificing servants. 

Caption: A 19th-century Qajar-era painting depicts poets Asjadi (seated right) and Unsuri (seated left), alongside the revered Ferdowsi, in the court of Mahmud of Ghazni. Tales of the Ghaznavid court and its illustrious coterie of poets continue to resonate through the ages. Poetry of the "Rend" Creed 

In this brief introduction, Bakhtari offers a wealth of insight, juxtaposing the literary traditions of the past with the realities of the present. Bakhtari highlights two poetic corners steeped in the "rend" philosophy. While these poets might not have explicitly embraced the label "drinkers of pain, burners of comfort," their work often echoed this sentiment, challenging conventional happiness and seeking meaning in life's struggles.

Praise for Asi's Work 

Bakhtari generously homages Asi, who, over the past decade, has evolved into a mature poet and candid voice for the quotidian struggles of his compatriots in Kabul and the countryside. 

Asi's Hopes and End 

Asi eagerly anticipated the war's end and wrote verses championing the opposition against the USSR occupation, only to be bitterly disappointed when the Islamists lay waste to his beloved city. 

In the aftermath of Kabul’s destruction, he wrote his final work, From the Island of Blood: Elegies for Kabul, published in Kabul in January 1993— by the fall of 1994, a rocket fired by an Islamist faction killed Asi in Kabul. 

[onlinebooks01]

Budha Aadmi Aur Samudra (Hindi Translation of The Old Man And The Sea)

'बूढ़ा आदमी और समुद्र' उपन्यास एक बूढ़े गरीब मछुआरे के जीवन-संघर्ष की कहानी है। मछली पकडऩे जाना, मछली पकडऩे की कोशिश करना, उस कोशिश में कामयाब होना, फिर इस सफलता को अंजाम तक लाने की जद्दोजहद का नाम है 'बूढ़ा आदमी और समुद्र'।

एक मछुआरे के जीवन-संघर्ष की यह दास्तान काल, समय और सीमा के बंधन से परे है। यह मछुआरा दुनिया के हर कोने में मौजूद है— अपने परिवेश से जूझता हुआ बिना किसी आक्रोश के, बिना किसी तिरस्कार भाव के। शायद यह मछुआरा एक विकसित आत्मा भी है। उसके सारे मनोभाव तात्कालिक हैं। वह समुद्र से, चिडिय़ों से और मछलियों से संवाद करता है। विषम परिस्थितियाँ उसे विचलित नहीं करतीं। उसकी जिजीविषा मरजीवड़े से कम नहीं।

प्रकृति और मनुष्य के अंतर्संबंधों को बयान करता हुआ अर्नेस्ट हेमिंग्वे का यह उपन्यास निश्चित ही एक कालजयी रचना है तो फिर हम हिंदी के पाठक इससे क्यों वंचित रहते। अस्तु! Buy Now : https://www.amazon.in/Budha-Aadmi-Samudra-Hindi-Translation/dp/9355214626

[monriatitans]

The Neverending Reading List: Book LV

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

SIXTY YEARS after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today, its message has grown more relevant than ever before. Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life. This sixtieth-anniversary edition commemorates Ray Bradbury’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Neil Gaiman; personal essays on the genesis of the novel by the author; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Nelson Algren, Harold Bloom, Margaret Atwood, and others; rare manuscript pages and sketches from Ray Bradbury’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.

—

RAY BRADBURY (1920-2012) was the author of more than three dozen books, including Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes, as well as hundreds of short stories. He wrote for the theater, cinema, and TV, including the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick and the Emmy-Award-winning teleplay The Halloween Tree, and adapted for television sixty-five of his stories for The Ray Bradbury Theater. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, and numerous other honors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I call my book collection The Neverending Reading List! To see why, and the list of books I’ve already shared, click here! Interested in the book? Snag it real quick here! Enjoy what I do? Please consider supporting via Buy Me a Coffee! Like what you see and want to know when there’s more? Click here to subscribe for updates and/or hit the Follow button! For more about MonriaTitans, click here! Watch MonriaTitans on Twitch and YouTube!

[lavanyarajuniverse]

Take me Lavanya Raj #love #lovepoems #loveyousomuch #soul #soullove #soulawakening #soulwisdom #music #loved #poem #poetry #writersoftheworld #author #publish #heart ,#indianmusic #indianliterature #worldliterature #wordsforthesoul https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-c5MMSPvn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[madmoonmoon]

the worldliterature fairytales

when i was a kid, every collection of books—large or small, public or private—had at least one small grubby volume called “fifty japanese fairy tales” “african folk tales” “who’s a-knockin at my door and other scary stories” “haunting mysteries of the sea” “golden threads: slavic fairy stories” “the unabridged grimm’s fairy tales,” and that book would contain at least one short story bizarre and haunting enough to permanently rewire your brain. and babey i was a fucking bloodhound hunting them down

[sharriplaza]

How and where #KEMET found me. #kemetic #worldliterature

[upwords1990]

Football has never been sexier. Read this book and enjoy the story. Second Chance Love: Mafia, seasoned romance https://a.co/d/424EbEW Debbie Hope Angelina Van Halen

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IT'S LIVE!!!!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Second Chance Love: Mafia, seasoned romance a.co/d/424EbEW

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#BookNow2024 #booktok #threads #urbanfantasy #bookstagram #BlueSkySocial #bestsellingauthor

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[ugcnetjrfenglishwithavik]

The unheard syllabus of Ugc Net English they most of them talk but don't know #ugcnetenglish #ugcnetenglishliterature #neteng #englishliterature #britishliterature #literature #literarytheory #literarycriticism #worldliterature #indianliterature #ugcnet https://www.instagram.com/p/CX0-xGSJdXv/?utm_medium=tumblr

[kobiamu58]

Nobel Laureate 2008 J. M. G. Le Clézio

Literary Voyageur Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (1940-), the 2008 Nobel Laureate in Literature, is a French-Mauritian author celebrated for his profound storytelling and exploration of human experiences.

J.M.G. Le Clézio is celebrated for his extensive and varied literary contributions. Among his many works, two stand out as particularly influential and acclaimed: "Desert (1980)" and "The Prospector (1985)."

Le Clézio has faced criticism for his unconventional narrative structure, overly descriptive prose, repetitive themes and occasional accusations of cultural appropriation in his portrayal of indigenous cultures.

[aftaabmagazine]

Shukrea Erfan: In her own words 

Shukrea Erfan: In her own words 

Shukrea Erfani شکریه عرفانی, born in 1978 in Qarabagh, Ghazni province, and a distinctive voice in the modern Farsi poetic landscape, spoke with Sohrab Soroush of Etilaat Roz on July 11, 2021, for an insightful conversation. This is an excerpt.

Translated from the Farsi by Farhad Azad 

AftaabMag.com | Spring 2024

Who is Shokrieh Erfani? 

Shokrieh Erfani is one of the people on Earth. The forces of history and geography brought her into this world in a mountainous village in Ghazni. Like millions of others like herself, she became a refugee, a second-class alien citizen in another country. She experienced childhood, youth, and life. She fell in love. She battled and grappled with the fierce storms of life and countless concepts and conventions. Sometimes, she sought refuge in solitude and wrote poetry. Whenever I think of her, these things come to mind.

First Experience Writing 

The creator of my first poem was love. My restless, curious, and insatiable spirit and growing up in a family where, because of my father being a cleric, books and reading had a place in it are also reasons that I can consider effective in my inclination towards the world of poetry, especially since my father also wrote poetry. Getting acquainted with the literary gatherings of that time was also one of the essential influential factors, but what clearly one day put a pen in my hand and said to write was love.

Comparing Poetry 

I can compare poetry to an event. You don't wait for it, and you don't know the time of its arrival, meaning you don't have an appointment with it. It's a sudden occurrence within you that you must express in language.

Defining Poetry 

Experts have written extensively on the definition of poetry, and of course, the poet's job is to create poetry, not to define it. Therefore, I cannot define poetry either, but my intuition tells me that poetry transforms a poet's inner reactions to the outside world through language. Poetry is a reaction, and art is generally the reaction of the human inner self to the outside world. Certainly, reacting to the outside world is the work of every living being, but what makes the reaction of an artist or a poet different from other reactions is their higher degree of sensitivity compared to others and the expression of that sensitivity in a form and field where beauty has priority. Beauty is the same tool and criterion for measuring a poem and, of course, the means of separating it from other words.

Coming of Age in Exile 

The issue of immigration also had a special place among our poets. The poets of that era intended to create and establish an acceptable identity in the larger dominant space by writing the poems of their time. Therefore, poems with a social epic approach and occasional ones had a unique advantage in those days... I also started writing in this space… Later, multiple migrations to other countries and getting acquainted with the broader realms of world poetry completely changed my perspective and commitment to poetry compared to what I had started.

Influence of Classical Farsi Poetry 

Today, we can no longer write poetry in the style and perspective of ancient poetry, but we must remember that original and outstanding work is never affected by time but rather affects time. The proof of this statement is the collections of ancient poets that still have a much higher place among Farsi poetry readers than today's poetry. Since my university field was literature and I spent most of my student years studying ancient texts, these texts have had a profound effect, especially in the field of familiarity with the elegant language of classical literature.

Today's Poetry and Landscape 

The poet of today must be a person of today, and a person of today must speak in the language of today and use concepts familiar to today's world. We live in a world where the centrality of the individual takes precedence over any other concept. An individual who lives in a modern world and whose poetic elements are naturally influenced by this world. 

The human-centered realm of speech has been shattered, and love for today's poets has become an earthly phenomenon. There is no eternal wine or heavenly savior for them. They see themselves as wandering beings in the darkness of a world where the dominance of the capitalist system and, on the other hand, their intellectual growth and familiarity with humanistic philosophical thoughts have brought them willingly or unwillingly into another realm of feeling, thought, and expression. 

We live in a world of nuclear warheads, the dominance of capitalism, and the magic of the media, and even if, as human beings from developing countries, we are not directly related to them, the heaviest burden of these phenomena is on our shoulders and our people. 

So, we should be the same as what we are. Poetry and art are inherently a cry against darkness and light that keeps the human heart bright, and this issue is always more significant and beyond the limits of time and place.

Role of Emotion in Poetry 

Emotion cannot be cultivated; it is the cultivator. I accept that emotion is one of the elements of my poetry, and its presence is quite natural because poetry cannot exist without emotion. In fact, this emotion becomes a tool for the poet to penetrate the depths of the audience and reach their hidden inner self. On another level, my being a woman also contributes to the dominance of emotion in my poems. Still, I don't want it to be seen from a feminist perspective. Unfortunately, nowadays, anything related to women has fallen into the trap of confused and denialist Eastern feminism to the extent that one fears that one day, being human and naturally human will become less valuable and less meaningful than being a woman or a man.

Views On Contemporary Poetry by Women

I still consider the poetry of [Farsi-speaking] women today to be a child who has to go a long way. Fall many times, get up again, and continue until maturity and consistency are reached. It is a fact that feminine and physical expressions and images have a very high frequency among our women's works and are often a tool to attract the attention of the larger male space. I do not condemn this and consider it a part of the same effort and struggle that our women have to grapple with so that one day they can pass it and experience other more expansive territories, but what makes me sad is that the use of the element of gender has become a tool that some of our women have taken refuge behind to convince themselves of today's literary society. 

I read the work of most of our female poets, and unfortunately, I often see that their work needs more serious study, thought, and personal experience. Media poetry and gender slogan poetry are among the texts that, although necessary as an experience, can be likened to short coughs before a speech. The audience in front of you wants to know what you have to say after those short coughs. 

That's where you must enter the field with the power of a well-read poet fluent in thought and language. One must do serious studies, open many unopened doors, and throw oneself into the heart of many experiences to create. Of course, there are poets whose works are outstanding and valuable.

Exile, Roots, and Future   

Unfortunately, my entire life has been spent in exile. The root of this pain is profound and will never be erased from the heart. I often wish to return to the embrace of my homeland, but I may have had the opportunity and courage to do so today. 

In any case, physical presence is not very important. Wherever I am in the world, I am a branch of the same tree.

Years of being involved in immigration and many other conflicts in life have taken a lot of time and opportunities from me. I should have worked more than I did, but for the future of this poet, I wish that she remains a poet. 

She is a poet who writes about love instead of war, and her works hold a special place in readers' hearts. - - -

Editor's Reflections

This interview is the most intellectually honest exchange I've encountered with a poet of my generation. Each response is a revelation about the context of contemporary poetry for the last four-plus decades and the future.

Shukrea Erfani comments on the general position of contemporary Farsi writers, "I read the work of most...and unfortunately, I often see that their work needs more serious study, thought, and personal experience."

This also resonates with me in other art forms, including contemporary music, where deep roots are often neglected in favor of shallow ones.

Growing up, I was fascinated by the spring rains and saddened to witness trees with shallow roots toppling while pleased to see those with deeper roots remain firm (استوار) season after season.

— Farhad Azad

May 16, 2024 

[dusunce-sarkaci]

"Bir kasabayı koruyan, içinde yaşayan erdemli insanlardan ziyade onu çevreleyen ormanlar ve bataklıklardır."

Henry David Thoreau / Yürümek

[mybookbath]

What are you currently reading? 📘 I am reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I am very much enjoying getting lost in this historical novel set during World War II. Have you read this book? Yesterday was Remembrance Day here in Canada. I was on a ferry to Victoria, reading this book when suddenly at 11am (on the 11th day of the 11th month) a steward made an announcement regarding the importance of this day. He talked about all those who fought for our freedom and asked that the passengers and the crew take two minutes of silence to reflect. It was so timely because I was in the middle of a war scene in the book. When I arrived in Victoria and for the rest of the day I kept seeing men and women in uniform all around the city. It really made me feel so grateful and also so connected to my current read. #lestweforget🌺 . . . . . . #thenightingale #kristinhannah #historicalfiction #worldliterature #booksandtea #booksandbeans (at Victoria, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4xeqT5HEkw/?igshid=xuaq1c9rswxt

[aniehart]

I saw this today and it just spoke to me... ♥️ . . . #words #poetry #writingcommunity #worldliterature #poem #qotd #quotes #poetrycommunity #expressionist #gamcheonculturevillage https://www.instagram.com/p/BzhykF8CG1h/?igshid=1q89fr3m1u3yk