Poetry in motion

Having the ability to think clearly, express with lucidity, conviction and moral vision, is what sets India born — London based poet, author and literary critic Shanta Acharya, apart from many other writers in the literary world. For her, the poetry represents rising above oneself, a transcendence that frees one to connect, whereby the ‘self’ and ‘the other’ become interchangeable. This is the attitude that helps her draw inspiration from every source of the world, “the world is rich with ideas and life is full of surprises,” says the veteran writer.

Born and educated in Cuttack in Odisha, Shanta won a scholarship to Oxford, and was among the first batch of women admitted to Worcester College in 1979. A recipient of the Violet Vaughan Morgan Fellowship, she was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy for her work on Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1983. Oblivious to the exact process of her writing, she defines it as a complex and deeply personal act. According to her, an idea can appear at the most inconvenient of times and disappear if you are not available to receive it. “Writing is not only a discipline, but it is also like breathing. Not being able to read and write regularly leaves me feeling like a fish out of water,” claims the author.

 As the American poet Robert Front once said, ‘To be a poet is a condition, not a profession’, Shanta is reminded of this phrase when she observes the fairly recent concept of a full-time writer. While she was working in an American Investment Bank in London, the author wrote extensively on asset management industry. “Until and unless one has experienced life in all its fullness, one cannot really become a good writer. I have written poetry most of my life. As there is no money in poetry, making a living out of poetry has not really been an option. Most poets I know do all sorts of alternative jobs to pay their bills,” recalls the poet.

The author of 11 books, her publications range from poetry, literary criticism and fiction to finance. She never considered writing under a pseudonym, because she writes for herself and for her own enjoyment. “When you write for your own enjoyment and to give pleasure to others what matters is self-expression. Writing under a pseudonym for publication was not a concern,” confirms the writer. When asked if writing uplifts her or exhausts her, she quickly responds saying, “Both, depends on the kind of writing. It can be utterly elevating to have written a poem you are pleased with and yet finding the right words can also be a struggle.” Do you try to be original or deliver what readers want? “All great art is created when you’re true to yourself, not have a design on the reader. When you write for the pleasure of writing, it is hugely affirming when others share in that joy of creation,” responds the former visiting scholar of the Department of English and American Literature and Languages at Harvard Universit.

In a world of instant gratification and instant communication, a writer might, at times,  regret sharing the work publicly when it is misinterpreted. However, for the veteran writer, this is a risk that every artist has to take. Referring to the essayist and playwright T.S Eliot’s saying ‘what a poem means is as much what it means to others as what it means to the author’, Shanta insists, Indeed, in the course of time a poet may become merely a reader in respect to his own works.” She also adds quoting Walt Whitman, that to have great poets, there must be great audiences too.

Writing for over five decades, Shanta’s latest book Imagine: New and Selected Poems was published by HarperCollins India in 2017. And in the process of her recent book’s publishing, the author observes the changing patterns and unethical practices in the publishing industry as she says that poetry remains a niche market, and publishing these days is a big business. “The publishing industry is not immune to the vagaries of human frailty,” she rues. According to her, publishers have entrenched their power in the literary marketplace through mergers and acquisitions along with engaging in various monopolistic practices. “Like bankers, publishers no longer take risks — the industry is ruthlessly market driven and marketing oriented. A large number of books published every year belies the fact that there has been a general dumbing down.” she asserts.

The founder of Poetry in the House, and twice the board of trustees of The Poetry Society, Shanta suggests the aspiring writers read widely as possible. “Give yourself the freedom to discover your own self and your true voice,” suggests the author. Adding that trying to please others and being influenced by passing fashions are common traps for them.