Agha Shahid Ali
Encyclopedia
Agha Shahid Ali was a Kashmiri American poet. His poetry collections include A Walk Through the Yellow Pages, The Half-Inch Himalayas, A Nostalgist's Map of America, The Country Without a Post Office, Rooms Are Never Finished (finalist for the National Book Award, 2001). His last book was Call Me Ishmael Tonight, a collection of English ghazal
s. His poems are featured in American Alphabets: 25 Contemporary Poets (2006) and many other anthologies.
In India
, Agha Shahid Ali was educated at the University of Kashmir
and the University of Delhi
. In the United States of America, he earned a Ph.D. in English from Pennsylvania State University
in 1984, and an M.F.A. from the University of Arizona
in 1985. He held teaching positions at nine universities and colleges in India and the United States.
Ali was also a translator of the Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(The Rebel's Silhouette; Selected Poems), and was the editor for the Middle East and Central Asia segment of Jeffery Paine's _Poetry of Our World_.
Through his work with poetry teaching, and as the compiler of the volume Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English, he was widely credited for helping to popularize the ghazal form as a poetic genre in English today.
Ali taught at the MFA Program for Poets & Writers
at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, at the MFA Writing Seminars at Bennington College
as well as at creative writing programs at University of Utah
, Baruch College, Warren Wilson College
, Hamilton College and New York University
. The accalimed Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie
was his student. He died peacefully, in his sleep, of brain cancer in December, 2001. He was laid to rest in Northampton, Massachusetts
.
Amitav Ghosh
, a renowned English author and Ali's close friend wrote about him after his death in 'The Ghat of the Only World'.
The University of Utah Press
awards the Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize annually "in memory of a celebrated poet and beloved teacher".
James Merrill
, an American Poet, had a very significant impact on Agha Shahid Ali's poetry.
Being of Kashmiri ethnicity, Ali, in regards to Jammu and Kashmir
and the Kashmir conflict
, stated that "ideally the best solution would be absolute autonomy within the Indian Union in the broadest sense." However he went on to state that possibly, such a solution was probably no longer possible, given the actions of the Indian state in Kashmir and the fact that militant groups would never accept the 'autonomy' solution.
(Later he was a staunch supporter of Kashmir freedom struggle.- Reference?) He expressed his love and concern for his people in The county without A post office, written in the backdrop of the Kashmir conflict.
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s. His poems are featured in American Alphabets: 25 Contemporary Poets (2006) and many other anthologies.
In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Agha Shahid Ali was educated at the University of Kashmir
University of Kashmir
-Faculties/Departments:* Arts** Department of Arabic** Department of Urdu** Department of English** Department of Kashmiri** Department of Foreign Languages** Department of Library and Information Science** Department of Linguistics...
and the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
. In the United States of America, he earned a Ph.D. in English from Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1984, and an M.F.A. from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in 1985. He held teaching positions at nine universities and colleges in India and the United States.
Ali was also a translator of the Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
(The Rebel's Silhouette; Selected Poems), and was the editor for the Middle East and Central Asia segment of Jeffery Paine's _Poetry of Our World_.
Through his work with poetry teaching, and as the compiler of the volume Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English, he was widely credited for helping to popularize the ghazal form as a poetic genre in English today.
Ali taught at the MFA Program for Poets & Writers
MFA Program for Poets & Writers
The MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a graduate creative writing program.-History:The MFA Program for Poets & Writers was founded in the 1960s by poet Joseph Langland and is part of the English Department at the University of Massachusetts...
at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, at the MFA Writing Seminars at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
as well as at creative writing programs at University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, Baruch College, Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College is a private four-year work college in the Swannanoa Valley, North Carolina, United States near Asheville. It is known for its curriculum of work, academics, and service, called "the Triad," which requires every student to work an on-campus job, perform at least one hundred...
, Hamilton College and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. The accalimed Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie
Kamila Shamsie
Kamila Shamsie is a Pakistani novelist who writes in the English language. She was brought up in Karachi and attended Karachi Grammar School....
was his student. He died peacefully, in his sleep, of brain cancer in December, 2001. He was laid to rest in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
.
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh , is a Bengali Indian author best known for his work in the English language.-Life:Ghosh was born in Calcutta on July 11, 1956, to Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, a retired officer of the pre-independence Indian Army, and was educated at The Doon School; St...
, a renowned English author and Ali's close friend wrote about him after his death in 'The Ghat of the Only World'.
The University of Utah Press
University of Utah Press
The University of Utah Press is the independent publishing branch of the University of Utah and is a division of the J. Willard Marriott Library. Founded in 1949 by A. Ray Olpin, it is also the oldest university press in Utah...
awards the Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize annually "in memory of a celebrated poet and beloved teacher".
James Merrill
James Merrill
James Ingram Merrill was an American poet whose awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Divine Comedies...
, an American Poet, had a very significant impact on Agha Shahid Ali's poetry.
Being of Kashmiri ethnicity, Ali, in regards to Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
and the Kashmir conflict
Kashmir conflict
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, the northwesternmost region of South Asia....
, stated that "ideally the best solution would be absolute autonomy within the Indian Union in the broadest sense." However he went on to state that possibly, such a solution was probably no longer possible, given the actions of the Indian state in Kashmir and the fact that militant groups would never accept the 'autonomy' solution.
(Later he was a staunch supporter of Kashmir freedom struggle.- Reference?) He expressed his love and concern for his people in The county without A post office, written in the backdrop of the Kashmir conflict.
External links
- Agha Shahid Ali at the Academy of American Poets
- Brief biography at the University of Massachusetts
- Agha Shahid Ali prize at the University of Utah Press
- Ali reads "The Purse-Seiner Atlantis," from the Paris Review
- Amitav GhoshAmitav GhoshAmitav Ghosh , is a Bengali Indian author best known for his work in the English language.-Life:Ghosh was born in Calcutta on July 11, 1956, to Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, a retired officer of the pre-independence Indian Army, and was educated at The Doon School; St...
reminiscing about Agha Shahid Ali at http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/17/04_Ghosh.pdf