Caught in the World of Binaries- Selected Poems of K S Nisar Ahmed

Back of the Book Professor K S Nisar Ahmed (b 1936) is a geologist by profession and a major writer in Kannada. His first collection of poems, Manasu Gandhi Bazar ("My Mind is like Gandhi Bazar") was published in 1960, and since then he has published poetry (15 collections), prose (five collections], and translations from Shakespeare and Neruda. He has been honored with many awards, including "Padmashri", Honorary D Litt (Kuvempu University), and Pampa Prashasti (Karnataka Government).

Living between two languages and two cultures, Prof. Nisar has successfully achieved the balance necessary for the tight- rope walking as a poet. He believes that, "Only when you understand another religion (or culture or language), you really understand your own religion (or culture or language)."

The present volume of 100 selected poems exhibits the multifaceted poetry of Nisar that reflects his creative pluralism.

The 13 translators of the poems in this volume include A K Ramanujan, V K Gokak and Tejaswini Niranjana.

About the Authors C N Ramachandran (b 1936), retired as "Professor Emeritus" from Mangalore University, having taught English language and literature in various universities in India and abroad. Primarily a critic- translator, he has published both in English (10 works) and kannada (20 works). His works in English include: Shifting Perspedives (a study of British drama), For Reasons of Their Own (collection of critical articles), and monographs on Shivarama Karanth and Chandrasekhar Kambara. His works in Kannada include Vasahatottara Chintane (post- colonial discourse), Hosa Madhya Mele Chaduranga (a study of 25 oral epics), Bhashantara: Saiddhanthika Mattu Anvayika Nelega/u (on translation), and Akhyana-Vyakhyana (culture criticism). He has translated ten warks from Kannada into English.

He has been awarded Central Sahitya Akademi Award for Akhyana- Vyakhyana (2014), Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (2007), Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award (2001), Katha-award for translation (1994), and K Birla Fellowship (2005).

M 5 Raghunath (b 1950) retired as Joint Director of Collegiate Education after serving as Professor of English and Principal of several Government Degree Colleges in Karnataka. He is engaged in translation of literary works between English and Kannada.

His publications include translation of the monograph of G P Rajaratnam from Kannada to English; Selected European Short Stories, Amitav Ghosh's Shadow Lines, Marquez's No one Writes to Colonel, and Arthur Miller's Death of A Salesman from English to Kannada. He has published literary articles in both English and Kannada newspapers, magazines and in SARASA, a journal of Dhvanyaloka, Mysore. He has won the annual book prize from Karnataka Sangha, Shivamogga, for the translation of Shadow Lines.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages