Her poetry collections include atmospheric embroidery triquarterly books, 2018. Born in allahabad, india, and raised in india and sudan, alexander lived and worked in new. Meena alexander was born in india, raised there and in sudan and went as a student to england. The graduate center, the city university of new york established in 1961, the graduate center of the city university of new york cuny is devoted primarily to doctoral studies and awards most of cunys doctoral degrees. Pdf faultlines a journey through meena alexanders life. Home archives reading room search editorial info books subscribe west links winter 1998, volume 15. The journey of a homebound pilgrim aditi jana vidyasagar university, west bengal, india abstract meena alexander is an emerging indianenglish poet.
Professor meena alexander, of the graduate writing program, has just had her latest book of poems, atmospheric embroidery, published in india. She achieved the cohesive design of content and form in her psychological poems and novels and brings a thought provoking harmony over different streams of feeling and sensibility found in the different settings of human. International journal of english literature and social. Meena alexander was an internationally acclaimed poet, scholar, and writer. The storm, a poem in five parts l989 and nightscene, the garden l992. Themes and techniques in the poetry of meena alexander. She achieved the cohesive design of content and form in her psychological poems and novels and brings a thought provoking harmony over different streams of.
Meena alexander, indian poet and teacher whose works reflect her multicultural life in india, sudan, and the united states. She earned a ba at khartoum university and a phd at nottingham university. Critical essays on meena alexander, we explore the ways in which alexander transforms the intimate genres of the lyric and the memoir to forms that further her project of poetry as public activism. Two poems, by meena alexander world literature today. A profile of poet and literary scholar meena alexander. Professor meena alexanders latest book of poems published. Meena alexander explores in a house of a thousand doors the effects of colonization and exploitation and what lies between the surface of lives. To use her own words, this book is alphabets burnt so the truth can be tolda book of singing griefa book of reeds vanishing as light pours through. At the age of fifteen, she officially changed her name to meena. Her volume of poems atmospheric embroidery triquarterly booksnorthwestern u press and the anthology she edited name me a word.
A deeply moving collection from a poet who crosses borders new york city poet meena alexander was born in allahabad, india and divided her childhood between india and the sudan. You can even find poems by occasion, theme, and form. One of her latest poems, kochi by the sea, appears in the february 12 and 19 edition of the new yorker and you can hear alexander read her poem on. Although christened mary elizabeth, she has been called meena since birth. Distinguished professor meena alexander gchunter, english has been called undoubtedly one of the finest poets in contemporary times.
Professor meena alexanders latest book of poems published in. Meena alexanders illiterate heart and quickly changing river. From her crosscultural perspective, alexander writes with moving intensity of postseptember 11 events as she evokes violence and civil strife, love, despair, and a hardwon hope. Meena kandasamy amnesia, selective when memory decides to no longer bear the burdens of pain, or even plain indifference she has her winsome wicked ways. With motifs of birds and flight, intermingling with fire, atmospheric embroidery warbles and smolders in surprising and memorable ways. One of her latest poems, kochi by the sea, appears in the february 12 and 19 edition of the new yorker and you can hear alexander read her poem on the the new yorker website. To meena alexander, the question of home is bound with a migrant memory and the way that poetry permits a dwelling at the edge of the world poem out of place 1. Meena alexander 17 february 1951 21 november 2018 was an indian poet, scholar, and writer. Atmospheric embroidery by meena alexander, paperback. Three specific metaphors that are dealt with throughout this. Dog days of summer by meena alexander poetry foundation. A deep sense of nostalgia pervades through his works, tinged with themes of.
Lahiri, rohinton mistry, salman rushdie, meena alexander, sujata bhatt and sunetra gupta, to name a few. Each thing rings its turn you sang in my ear a slip of a thing. This segment first aired on cuny tvs study with the best, august 23, 2015. When she was eighteen she went to study in england. Born in allahabad, india, poet meena alexander was raised in kerala and sudan. Meanwhile, in brief response to your questions agenda poetry. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page. Meena alexander was born in allahabad, india, raised in india and sudan. An internationally recognized center for advanced studies and a national model for public doctoral education, the graduate center offers more than thirty doctoral programs in. The discussion of the theme of multiple dislocations evokes in us alexanders poem.
In the united states, alexanders first book of poetry. Professor meena alexanders poetry is in the new yorker. Pdf exploring liminal images in meena alexanders poems. She is distinguished professor of english at hunter college and the graduate center cuny. Universe a united nations of poetry meena alexander. From the real to the mythical to the fantastical, meena alexander takes the reader to vivid and unusual places. In the introduction to her latest collection of poems lifeon my side of the street and other poems, daruwalla calls her poems lyrical and meditative at the same time and draws the reader. Described as undoubtedly one of the finest poets of contemporary times by the statesman india, she was the author of numerous collections of poetry. The academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. Meena alexander is an awardwinning poet and the author of the memoir fault lines. Aug 26, 2015 a profile of poet and literary scholar meena alexander. Described as undoubtedly one of the finest poets of contemporary times by the statesman india, she was the author of numerous collections of poetry, including atmospheric embroidery 2018, birthplace with buried stones 20, and. In this collection, meena alexander gives us an atlas of poems, a book threaded with the silk of her life experience. Anna sujatha mathai writes about the poem mysteriously.
Exploring liminal images in meena alexanders poems litsearch. Meena alexander was born in allahabad, india, in 1951. An expanded version of atmospheric embroidery is forthcoming from triquarterly books northwestern university press in spring 2018. At five years of age, alexander and her family moved to the sudan, where she attended. Indian love poems everymans library pocket poets by meena. She waits for the right image and word to capture the same. Meena alexander reads three poems from her new collection. My article addresses precisely the relation between geography and writing in meena alexanders poetry and essay collections the shock of arrival 1996 and. A notebook is not a foreign country by meena alexander. Described as undoubtedly one of the finest poets of contemporary times by the statesman india. New york city poet meena alexander was born in allahabad, india and divided her childhood between india and the sudan. Like many of meena alexanders poems, the storm is largely about. Meena alexander poems poems of meena alexander poem. Meena alexanders poetry is a complex interweaving of the indian.
It has also to do with the kind of shelter that poets can make with words. Diasporic experience in the poetry of meena alexander. Atmospheric embroidery took shape during her stay at the indian institute for advanced study in shimla, according to dr. Born in allahabad, india, and raised in india and sudan, alexander lived and. Meena alexander 17 february 1951 21 november 2018 was an indian poet, scholar, and. She is distinguished professor of english at hunter college and the graduate center at the city university of new york. Indian love poems by meena alexander, 9781400042258, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Meena alexander indian poet and teacher britannica. A few more notes on my fall from the middle everything is broken by sharon kessler elegy by patricia smith regrets number 191.
Nov 21, 2018 meena alexander was an internationally acclaimed poet, scholar, and writer. A critique of meena alexanders autobiography in fault. She now lives in new york city, where she is a distinguished professor of english at hunter college and the graduate center at the city university of new york. Alexander, agha shahid ali, vijay seshadri, ravi shankar, jeet thayil and reetika. Phenomenal woman, the road not taken, if you forget me, dreams, annabel lee. Her poetry publications include stone roots l980, house of a thousand doors l988 and two long poems. Meena alexander reads three poems from her new collection, atmospheric embroidery, published by northwestern university press in june. Meena alexanders literary career began early, at the tender age of ten, when she began writing poetry. In the literary magazines database youll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact informationeverything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work. She is a professor of english at hunter college and lives in new york city. Theres no monetary reward for poetry, but the reward, i think, is a kind of grace, a clarification of the everyday.
Described as undoubtedly one of the finest poets of contemporary times by the statesman india, she was the author. Three specific metaphors that are dealt with throughout this thesis are based on the inanimate objects, door, stone and silk. Because thats what poetry is really bound to, the stuff of our lives. Indian love poems is a unique gathering of poems from across more than two and a half millennia that attempts to catalog the disordered ecstasies of love. Meena alexander is one of the most brilliant and subtle writer who has described the meeting of eastern and western culture. While her poetry might be her bestknown work, her works span a variety of literary genres. Poems and prose pieces is a collection of fiftynine poems and prose pieces.
Some day, years later, life requires you to unearth some event long past and you set about browsing your brain like a deskfull of office files and then. Meena alexanders autobiography essay by papernerd contributor, college, undergraduate, september 2001 download word file, 2 pages download word file, 2 pages 0. Jul 29, 2004 new york city poet meena alexander was born in allahabad, india and divided her childhood between india and the sudan. Meena alexander joins kevin young to read and discuss gerald sterns poem adonis and her own poem kochi by the sea. Discovering the autobiographical elements hidden in raw silk metaphors. Meena alexanders house of a thousand doors september 22, 2014 rukhaya 0 comments. Meena alexanders illiterate heart and quickly changing. Indian love poems everymans library pocket poets by. Meena alexander has two new books forthcoming in 2018.
Sep 18, 2017 poem hunter all poems of by meena alexander poems. Fault lines analysis when the average person looks upon their past, they usually recall memories and facts that categorize them into a predefined group of people. However, meena alexander through her poems has not only revealed a. Iyengar includes her with other poets like sunita jain, rina sodhi and meena alexander in his comprehensive study of indian writing in english 728. Meena alexanders poetry reflects her multicultural heritage and the tension it creates. Professor alexander was recently interviewed by saket suman, of the statesman, a major indian newspaper.
Meena alexander was born in allahabad, india, on february 17, 1951. Indian love poems is a unique gathering of poems from across more than two and a half millennia that attempts to catalog the disordered ecstasies of love, ranging from the kama sutra and earlier works up to presentday india and the poets of the indian diaspora. Alexander is known for lyric poetry that deals with migration, its impact on the subjectivity of the. Born in allahabad, india, and raised in india and sudan, alexander lived and worked in new york city, where she was distinguished professor of english at hunter college and at the cuny graduate center in the phd program in english. Her first book, a single lengthy poem, entitled the birds bright wing, was published in 1976 in calcutta. Seldom can a person not find some sense of belonging in their lives, whether it be belonging to a culture, to a. There, in folded space, we must have met by rommel delirium, malibu 2016 by meena alexander. Meena alexander poems poems of meena alexander poem hunter.
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