In a Time of Burning

by R. Cheran, Sascha Ebeling (Introduction), Lakshmi Holmström (Translator)

This selection of poems by Cheran, one of the most important poets writing in Tamil today, charts the civil war in Sri Lanka of more than three decades, and its aftermath, in a narrative set against a landscape once idyllic, now devastated. Yet this is not the only narrative in this book: woven throughout are love poems - which, even in his earliest work, are shadowed by uncertainty and loss - and poems about displacement, exile and the experience of diaspora.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Cheran Rudhramoorthy [Tamil : சேரன் உருத்திரமூர்த்தி] (b. 1960, Alaveddy [alaveddi], Sri Lanka ) is a Tamil poet, playwright, journalist and professor. He is the author of more than 15 books in Tamil, and of three plays in English. He also co-edited an anthology of Tamil political poetry. In his works, he deals with the themes of identity, ethnicity, nationalism , emigration and violence.

Cheran has received several awards for literature and human rights , including the English PEN, Freedom to Write Award (2013), the University of Toronto International Poetry Award (2007), the Human Rights Witness Award, Montreal , 1998 ), and the Sri Lankan National Prize for Best Poetry (1994).

His works have been translated into 16 languages ​​including English , Arabic , Bengali , Chinese , French , German , Spanish , Indonesian , Japanese, Kannada , Malayalam , Dutch , Sinhala , Swedish, and Telugu .

Reviews

[Odi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language Cheran employs is marked by vivid, sometimes harrowing imagery—the burning of the Jaffna Public Library symbolizing a deliberate attack on Tamil history and identity stands as a central motif. The poems evoke a landscape transformed by violence where even nature seems deadened and muted, reflecting the profound rupture inflicted upon the land and its people. Yet, amid this destruction, Cheran’s verse also contains moments of tenderness and resilience, exploring familial bonds, the anguish of widowed mothers, and the inner lives of those caught in the crossfire.

Distinct from traditional war poetry rooted in Eurocentric experiences, Cheran’s work is grounded in the lived realities of a minority community enduring prolonged genocide and exile. He eschews political partisanship, instead adopting a humanistic tone that honours the voices of the marginalised without propagandist intent. Water and sea imagery recurrently appear in his poems as symbols of both death and calm, providing a uniquely local resonance. The collection addresses the trauma of loss while insisting on the endurance of memory and the power of storytelling to resist erasure.

In a Time of Burning stands as a testament to the power of poetry to document historical violence with empathy and urgency, transforming pain into a language of witness and survival. Cheran emerges as a vital chronicler of Sri Lanka’s wounds, preserving the humanity behind political conflict, and inviting readers into a somber reflection on the costs of hatred and war.​