A Map of Longings: Life and Works of Agha Shahid Ali

by Manan Kapoor

This first definitive biography of Agha Shahid Ali offers a rich portrait of the poet and the world he inhabited. "A scintillating portrait of one of the finest poets of the late 20th century"-Ranjit Hoskote"Manan Kapoor's immersive study returns the poet to his roots, which are inescapably Indian-there's no other word for the syncretic mastery of the Hindi, Urdu and English traditions that shaped his work."-Jeet ThayilShahid is widely regarded as one of the finest poets from the Indian subcontinent, and his works are read across the world, touching millions of lives. A pioneer of ghazal writing in English, he wrote extensively about loss, nostalgia and home. A witness to the conflict that ravaged his homeland Kashmir, a loss he lamented in his collection The Country without a Post Office, Shahid has today become a symbol of hope in a violent world.In this biography, Manan Kapoor explores the concerns that shaped Shahid's life and works, following in the footsteps of the 'Beloved Witness' from Kashmir to New Delhi and finally to the United States. He charts Shahid's friendships with figures like Begum Akhtar and James Merrill, and looks at the lives the poet touched with his compassion and love. He also traces the complex evolution of Shahid's evocative verses, which mapped various cultures and geographies, and mourned injustice and loss, both personal and political. Drawing on various unpublished materials and in-depth interviews with Shahid's family, friends, students and acquaintances, Kapoor narrates the riveting story of a major literary voice and presents Shahid's poetic vision, revealing not just what he wrote but also how he taught the world to live.

Genres: Poetry, Biography

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2021

Reviews

[Avani ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Map of Longings by Manan Kapoor is a biography of Agha Shahid Ali, renowned Indian Poet. His works are read across the world and the poet is popularly known for his book "The Country Without A Post Office" & "Rooms Are Never Finished".

In this book Manan Kapoor has the concerns that shaped Agha Shahid Ali's early life and also the same reflects on his poems and writing journey. The author also explores his relationships with friends and family in this biography in detail.

We also get to see some insights into his unpublished works as well as some personal letters like the one from Salman Rushdie, etc. The book also talks about some political viewpoints during the partition times, just like Agha Shahid Ali's poetry do.

I definitely am looking forward to reading more of author's work as well as more of Agha Shahid Ali's poetry. I've only read one so far and definitely liked reading it. We also get to see his life from Pakistan to America and culture at both places from his viewpoint.

[Naveed Qazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biography has thinly disguised elements of literary criticism.

Born in a highly educated family, Shahid was brought up in a liberal environment, where he didn't mind dressing up as Krishna in his youth, while at the same time wrote poetry about Christ or Karbala. His love for Ghazal was eternal, and due to his sincerity, his translations were eventually brought to the American audiences, who were alien about the genre. The author calls him a Rumi's heir in South Asia. Despite being celebrated in America in academic traditions, its unfortunate that his work is not lamented, by the Kashmiri public the way it should. Infact, by the the late 90s, when Shahid was awarded Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim Foundation grant, and an Ingram Merill fellowship, he had established himself as an acclaimed poet. He read his poetry in prestigious universities like Yale, and Penn State, and attended numerous recognised exhibitions. Still, there are no symposiums on his poetic works in Kashmir, despite producing seminal works like The Country without a Post Office, The Veiled Suite, and The Half Inch Himalayas etc.

His inspirations were vast and transcended cultures: from Elliot, Begum Akhtar, Ghalib, James Merill, Mahmoud Darwish, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, to others. His friendships were unfeigned, and the loss of the friendships he forged, that he made by living in different parts of the world, have also been reflected in his poetry.

As an academic, he went on to teach acclaimed novelists like Kamila Shamsie and poets like James Merill (who later influenced him), and wrote poetry on diverse themes, from history, love, loss, homeland to name a few. Shahid found nostalgia living in Kashmir, same way as he did living in New Delhi or in the United States.

Manan Kapoor's work is finely written and exhaustive.

[Aastha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 but round up coz it made me feel feelings. Thankyou Deepanshi jiji.

[Sheikh Mahiruqh · Rating 4 out of 5]

They ask me what Shahid means: Listen, listen:/It means “the beloved” in Persian, “witness” in Arabic

Shahid is widely regarded as one of the finest poets from the Indian subcontinent, and his works are read across the world, touching millions of lives. A pioneer of ghazal writing in English, he wrote extensively about loss, nostalgia and home. A witness to the conflict that ravaged his homeland Kashmir, a loss he lamented in his collection The Country without a Post Office, Shahid has today become a symbol of hope in a violent world and In this biography, Manan Kapoor explores the concerns that shaped Shahid’s life and works, following in the footsteps of the ‘Beloved Witness’ from Kashmir to New Delhi and finally to the United States. He charts Shahid’s friendships with figures like Begum Akhtar and James Merrill, and looks at the lives the poet touched with his compassion and love. He also traces the complex evolution of Shahid’s evocative verses, which mapped various cultures and geographies, and mourned injustice and loss, both personal and political. Drawing on various unpublished materials and in-depth interviews with Shahid’s family, friends, students and acquaintances, Kapoor narrates the riveting story of a major literary voice and presents Shahid’s poetic vision, revealing not just what he wrote but also how he taught the world to live.

P.S: I will suggest this book to all the people who somewhere are fighting to channelize there thoughts into words because this book not only is a biography but surely acts as a guide into the world of writing.

[Ashritha Sadu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad there’s finally a biography on ASA!

I’ve adored his poetry; some poems, I would read over and over until I knew them by heart, and some I didn’t quite get.
This comprehensive biography helped me place those poems in context. Knowing more about the man behind the words, his inspirations and muses, his love and grief, amped up my appreciation for his poetry multifold.

The anecdotes and memories about Shahid shared by his family and friends were delightful.
The author’s insights into some of the poems were interesting. I would’ve liked more of this.

A fan of Shahid’s poetry would appreciate the depth in this biography, and new readers might just be inspired to pick up Shahid’s works.

[Nithesh S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read the biography of any poet. I picked this book as a book club recommended it. As a wannabe poet, I wanted to know more about the life of a career poet. The book is well written and weaves the story of Agha Shahid Ali around his parents', Delhi's and Kashmir's history.

At times, the author goes too deep into the friendships and relationships of Agha Shahid Ali in the book. Sometimes, it sounds more like an academic exercise rather than the study of Ali's life.

However, I am deeply impressed by the narration around Ali's relationship with his mother and the narration of his life after he fell sick. The book inspired me to pick the book of Ali and read his poetry.

[Anmol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire this labour of love because it provided those who love Shahid a more intimate glimpse into his life. It fills in the gaps of all that is repeated very often about him, and it reaffirms all that is true and mythical about this towering poet. It could have been better edited though with a more balanced narrative structure. I tried to highlight all the clichés, and there were one too many—I also hoped it had a little less of the author's observations and attempts at commentary.

[Sumaya Mashrufa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my entry point to the poet. I've read bits and pieces of his poetry from the net before, but a total submerge happened here. This book made me fall in love with Agha Shahid Ali in a way that now I feel it's always been this way. That I've always been in love with him without knowing when or how.

[Deeba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written biography on Kashmir's beloved poet, Agha Shahid Ali. It weds his life details with his poetry. Shahid is interesting, not on as a poet but the persona as well. A must read for those who know Shahid's art or a beginning guide to those who don't!

[Sreeja Chakraborty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most comprehensive material ever written about Shahid. I am a devoted fan of Agha Shahid Ali and this book, despite not being a novel, brought me to tears more times than any novel ever could. What a man, Shahid. And what a biography. Loved it from start to finish.

[Gazala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agha Shahid Ali, the Kashmiri American Poet resides in the heart of millions of Indians. A sense of nostalgia and the mad lover in politics drip from his poems. Manan Kapoor's "A Map of Longings" proved an invaluable text for strengthening my belief in the power of Shahid's poems.

[Khush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who have read Shahid's poetry and are interested in cross-cultural and transnational histories.

[DwijoG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one only for the more hardcore fans - which I certainly am. The book is brief but covers as much as you would want to know of his life. Perhaps more pages could have been spent on understanding his style and breaking down his poems. This book doesn’t attempt to be a thorough literary review of his work. However purely as a biography, it is well paced and engrossing. Personally I loved learning about his family history (both his parents have fascinating backgrounds), the original context behind many of his classics and of course the story of his turn towards more formal structure under the influence of James Merrill.

The most interesting insight for me was to learn of his dispassionate formalism as a poet.
Without this insight, his poems come across as deeply passionate works. It was a revelation to realize that this passion was a carefully constructed artifice, with complete self awareness of the need to straddle the line between evoking sentiment without letting a poem being beholden to it. I would like to think this lifelong effort allowed him to write Lennox Hill and The Veiled Suite in his last few years (IMO the finest poems from his late period work), that managed to fully give vent to his grief but still somehow still managed to marry them with formal techniques he had perfected over his career to devastating effect.

I never really understood how formal structures can liberate the language of accomplished poets - still don’t - but this book helped me get a glimpse of that journey through the life and work of one of the great poets of the 20th century.

[Written on the go to document my immediate reaction to the book. Apologies for incoherence or typos]

[Abhishek Shetty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a glimpse of Ali as a poet, as a Kashmiri, as a Son, as a Brother, and as a Teacher. It is filled with several anecdotes of Ali as a student and as an academic. He loved Begum Akhtar and Mutton Roganghosh. He also loved T.S. Elliot and James Merill. I remember reading a poem by Ali in high school and it is one of the only poems I remember from that time. I loved reading this book and understanding how Ali became the world-renowned poet he eventually became and his love for Kashmir, Poetry and Life.