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A Name for Every Leaf: Selected Poems, 1959-2015
A lyrical collection from an acclaimed master of Hindi poetry. The poems in this selection capture the range of styles and concerns of one of Hindi's most well-known writers. Chosen from a body of work spanning several decades, these are beautifully translated by Rahul Soni and introduced by poet Arundhathi Subramaniam. Ashok Vajpeyi is a poet, essayist and cultural critic, apart from being a noted arts administrator and a former civil servant.Rahul Soni is a writer, editor and translator based in India.
248 pages, Paperback
Published March 26, 2016
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About the author
Ashok Vajpeyi
63 books10 followersAshok Vajpeyi (Hindi: अशोक वाजपेयी) (born 1941) is an Indian poet in Hindi, essayist, literary-cultural critic, apart from being a noted cultural and arts administrator, and a former civil servant.
He was chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi India's National Academy of Arts, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, 2008–2011. He has published over 23 books of poetry, criticism and art, and was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award given by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin.
His notable poetry collections include, Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhavana Hai (1966), Tatpurush (1986), Bahuri Akela (1992), Ibarat Se Giri Matrayen, Ummeed ka Doosra Naam (2004) and Vivaksha (2006), besides this he has also published works on literary and art criticism: Filhal, Kuchh Poorvagrah, Samay se Bahar, Kavita ka Galp and Sidhiyan Shuru ho Gayi Hain. He is generally seen as part of the old Delhi-centric literary-cultural establishment consisting of bureaucrat-poets and academicians like Sitakanta Mahapatra, Keki Daruwalla, J.P.Das, Gopi Chand Narang, Indra Nath Choudhari and K.Satchidanandan.
He was chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi India's National Academy of Arts, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, 2008–2011. He has published over 23 books of poetry, criticism and art, and was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award given by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin.
His notable poetry collections include, Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhavana Hai (1966), Tatpurush (1986), Bahuri Akela (1992), Ibarat Se Giri Matrayen, Ummeed ka Doosra Naam (2004) and Vivaksha (2006), besides this he has also published works on literary and art criticism: Filhal, Kuchh Poorvagrah, Samay se Bahar, Kavita ka Galp and Sidhiyan Shuru ho Gayi Hain. He is generally seen as part of the old Delhi-centric literary-cultural establishment consisting of bureaucrat-poets and academicians like Sitakanta Mahapatra, Keki Daruwalla, J.P.Das, Gopi Chand Narang, Indra Nath Choudhari and K.Satchidanandan.
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October 9, 2022
"A small house won't do,
I want the whole earth
surrounded by
its plants and seas and people.
A window won't suffice,
I want the whole sky
filled with its countless stars and planets.
This little lamp can't quell
my darkness
I want
a brilliant, blazing sun.
A few words are not enough
to make a poem,
I want all of language—
all the green of the earth
all the blue of the sky
all the red of sunrise."
// I Want
Harper Perennial is one of my favourite translated literature imprints because of the usually extensive P.S. section at the end which serves as an initial contextual foray into the book and the writer. A Name for Every Leaf is not an exception with one interview, four essays by the poet, and an Afterword that compliments a rather nice Preface. This collection is also one of those books I discovered randomly during aimless browsing and bought on a whim only to be very pleasantly surprised. Ashok Vajpeyi is a great poet, and Rahul Soni, who has also translated Geetanjali Shree, has done a great job in rendering a lyrical, lucid translation.
For Ranjit Hoskote, Vajpeyi embraces "a transregional and transhistorical approach that is festive in its declaration of affinities with the proximate and the distant, the inherited and the contemporary." His references, apparent or not, draw on a rich tapestry of world literature while also being very cognizant of literary trends and cultural currents of the Anglophone world. He's a very sensitive writer. His images are effusive, complex, and enlightening. Many poems begin and end with the same ideas. His concern isn't the telling of static truth but the representation of one or more realities. Poetry is like a door left ajar; the readers wander in and out.
I want the whole earth
surrounded by
its plants and seas and people.
A window won't suffice,
I want the whole sky
filled with its countless stars and planets.
This little lamp can't quell
my darkness
I want
a brilliant, blazing sun.
A few words are not enough
to make a poem,
I want all of language—
all the green of the earth
all the blue of the sky
all the red of sunrise."
// I Want
Harper Perennial is one of my favourite translated literature imprints because of the usually extensive P.S. section at the end which serves as an initial contextual foray into the book and the writer. A Name for Every Leaf is not an exception with one interview, four essays by the poet, and an Afterword that compliments a rather nice Preface. This collection is also one of those books I discovered randomly during aimless browsing and bought on a whim only to be very pleasantly surprised. Ashok Vajpeyi is a great poet, and Rahul Soni, who has also translated Geetanjali Shree, has done a great job in rendering a lyrical, lucid translation.
For Ranjit Hoskote, Vajpeyi embraces "a transregional and transhistorical approach that is festive in its declaration of affinities with the proximate and the distant, the inherited and the contemporary." His references, apparent or not, draw on a rich tapestry of world literature while also being very cognizant of literary trends and cultural currents of the Anglophone world. He's a very sensitive writer. His images are effusive, complex, and enlightening. Many poems begin and end with the same ideas. His concern isn't the telling of static truth but the representation of one or more realities. Poetry is like a door left ajar; the readers wander in and out.
Displaying 1 of 1 review