An Alchemy of Words and Silences

‘Rekha Sethi’s book on contemporary Hindi poetry by women is thoroughly grounded in its context, rather than being written out of a couple of improvised “field-trips” and an uncertain grasp of the source language and materials as several studies of Hindi literature in English are. It arises out of Sethi’s personal engagement and participation, extending over decades as a Professor of Hindi in the University of Delhi, in the same literary and cultural sphere as inhabited by the poets she writes about; she is situated experientially at the epicentre of this discursive universe. Her book is therefore more intimate, insightful and rounded than any other work yet published on the subject.’

—Harish Trivedi

‘This is a rare volume on significant women poets in Hindi. It explores germane issues of language, identity, sexuality, displacement and social justice when viewed from a uniquely female perspective. Poet Adrianne Rich argues somewhere about the importance of a proper critical analysis of female self-definition and the need to re-imagine female roles in patriarchal societies. With its shrewd insights into the lives and works of these eminent Hindi poets this book does just that.’

—Mrinal Pande

‘Rekha Sethi’s voice is a blend of creativity and criticism, emerging from a scholarly and perceptive mind. Traversing a global terrain, she captures the text, context and feminism of contemporary Hindi poets for the translator then to carry it across to a non-Hindi audience. This book responds to the call of a comparatist who seeks a critical appreciation of Hindi feminist poetry in English language. By all means, the book makes a fulfilling read in its mapping of a wide range of feminisms in Hindi poetry today.’

—Sukrita Paul Kumar

‘This unusual and highly interventionist book asks what feminism is and demonstrates how a wholesale use of the term for plural and multitudinous engagements with the “woman question” in South Asia would be inevitably reductive. Drawing from a rich and heterogenous creative and critical impulses in Hindi poetry by women writers, this book is an invaluable resource in feminist studies and an absolutely must-read for anyone interested in South Asian studies.’

—Rita Kothari, Professor of Comparative Literature and Translation, Ashoka University