Charles Bukowski remains one of the most polarising and widely read literary figures of the twentieth century. Readers tend to fall into two groups when they encounter his work for the first time. Some are immediately drawn to the raw honesty of his voice, the strange tenderness hidden beneath his cynicism, and the blunt humour […]

Dr Alok Mishra is a rare contemporary figure who inhabits poetry, criticism and pedagogy with equal seriousness. A poet in English (and occasionally Hindi and Maithili), a literary critic, founder of several influential digital platforms, and now a scholar of Indianness in Indian English poetry, he represents a generation of Indian writers who refuse to […]

Sarojini Naidu, often hailed as the Nightingale of India, exhibited a distinctive writing style characterised by eloquence, lyricism, and a delicate fusion of Indian cultural motifs with Western literary influences. Her poetry reflects a harmonious blend of romanticism and nationalism, where she masterfully crafted verses that resonated with both emotion and patriotic fervour. Naidu’s use […]

T.S. Eliot, whose full name is Thomas Stearns Eliot, was an American-British poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic, and editor. He is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the 20th century and a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry. Eliot was a daunting intellectual who, many believe, wasn’t fascinated by the romantic […]

W. B. Yeats, also known as (because he undoubtedly was) William Butler Yeats, was a towering figure in the world of literature, celebrated for his profound and visionary poetry. Born on June 13, 1865, in Sandymount, County Dublin, Ireland, Yeats grew up amidst a rich cultural and historical backdrop that profoundly influenced his literary endeavours. […]