The View From Here: Stories And Poems Of Many Indias By Githa Hariharan & K. Satchidanandan

The erudite Kannada scholar and critic D. R. Nagaraj wrote, “To read fiction is to know the fate of a society through its metaphors. But quite often literature consciously takes upon itself the responsibility of exploring the state and fate of this society…” This is precisely what the stories in this collection do: they may speak of past and present, but really it is the future—that we fear and dream of and hope for—that we want to speak and hear about. And these sto-ries we share, most through the gift of translation, live through their meta-phors; the metaphors the writers and translators hold in their hands like bless-ings—or timely curses…’

‘Can poetry be political? … The poems in this anthology tell us without doubt or apprehension: “Yes, poetically political if not politically political.” And as we finish reading these poems, we realize that politics and poetry, in their real spirit, are two ways of telling the truth, and have been engaged—and continue to engage—in an endless conversation.’

K. Satchidanandan, from his Introduction, ‘Poetically Political’