Recently Sweden was visitied by five Bengali poets, with events in Uppsala, Stockholm and Gothenburg (and Oslo - but that's not Sweden anymore). As there was nothing in print by the poets WE published a beautiful little anthology of their works, called I Raise My Head Beyond This World!
Copies are available in both shops and on-line, and there will be an event in the Uppsala shop later on this fall. Keep your eyes peeled. And take this unique opportunity to become aware of these five amazing voices. It's only 80:-.
"It was, indeed, a revolutionary leap for the Swedish Academy – as early as 1913 – to give the Nobel Prize for Literature to the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.
This book celebrates the 100th anniversary of Tagore’s award. It is not an attempt to promote Bengali poetry, but simply a much belated and tiny ripple against the tide of ignorance and arrogance – the 'unthinking,' to cite Dag Hammarskjöld – of what we in the West have not seen and not heard in our encounters with the Indian subcontinent.
I Raise My Head Beyond This World is a Nordic listening post towards the East that gives a glimpse into the rich world that is Bengali culture, creativity and life in literature. Meet and enjoy Mrittika Goon, Nirmalendu Goon, Anisur Rahman, Ruby Rahman and Muhammad Samad, five poets that come as the monsoon wind from a unique tradition."
High resolution cover
Book cover back and front as PDF