Neither A Shadow Nor A Reflection

Neither a Shadow Nor a Reflection is the translation of Naseem Shafaie's Sahitya Akademi award-winning collection of poems Na Thsay Na Aks. Her choice of topics is varied-rich with imagery and sensitive themes, which makes it always a joy to read. Lucid tones strong powerful pictorial quality and intense subjects compel the reader to keep pace with the moving beauty and grace of her poems. The reader finds an instant connect with the common place situations, which may be unique to the outside world but are routine to her unique cultural and social surroundings.

Naseem Shafaie is one of the eminent feminist poets of the modern Kashmiri literature. Her poems usually revolve around the intricacies of human relationships, love and sorrow. A sensitive poet who looks at life through the lens of humanism and imaginative warmth, besides not to shock the reader but artistically weaves images of human complexities and love for them to sit up and listen. Naseem in her poems draws graphic pictures in which she tries to reveal but manages to hide and leaves it for the reader to search. Her powerful use of imagery, metaphors, symbols and folk songs makes her poetry universal appeal that has lead her poems to be translated in most of foreign and Indian languages. Naseem Shafaie is a recipient of Tagore Literary Award in 2009 and the Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2011.

Naseem Shafaie is one of the best amongst the contemporary Kashmiri poets. Power is added to her poetry by her sensitivity, spontaneity and her strong and bold expressions. This probably leads us to her comparison to Kamala Das, the confessional Malayalam poetess, more than once.

Her work augments serious awareness which is a pre requisite for any feminist writing. She has been able to create a positive feminine identity in almost all her poems and often writes in the first person, as an independent individual without a need for support.

**Contents and Sample Pages**