Magadh

‘In Rahul Soni’s translation, Verma’s minimalist poems are made beautiful by their precise syntax and structural interstices.’ Alexander Leissle, *Art Review *

‘First published in Hindi in 1984, two years before Verma’s death, and here published for the first time in the UK in Soni’s luminous translation, this haunting and haunted masterpiece resonates louder than ever in our own times, with its stark images of cities pulverised by invading armies.’ Philip Terry, The Guardian

‘Magadh traces vanished kingdoms and India’s historical and mythic past in spare poems that circle, insistently, around repetitions and riddling questions; history is rendered less as narrative than as an atmosphere heavy with absence. Rahul Soni’s translation carries this stark power with clarity and restraint. The work feels both ancient and urgently present, just as Verma’s own retrospective ubi sunt draws us to consider our own situation within cycles of rise and decline. A remarkable, disorienting book that resists closure or consolation.’ Leon Ray-Fernandes, Poetry Book Society

‘Verma renders Magadh as a place at once real and imaginary, lasting and lost—both a point of origin and an unreachable destination. The book circles political concerns that remain relevant today, including empire, caste prejudice, and the dangers of despotism and corruption. But in Soni’s careful translation, the repetitions and subtle variation of Verma’s poems also achieve a haunting, transcendental resonance.’ New Yorker