ENCOUNTERS WITH PRISON

The introduction to For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit states: “That the pen is mightier than the sword is a phrase easy to mock. As examples from history show, distressingly, swords have killed poets for centuries. It is impossible to list all the poets who have been persecuted, for in many instances, we remember their words not their names. And that is the point – those who wield the sword are reviled... Empires have risen and fallen and national boundaries have changed. But the words of poets have survived, passed from generation to generation through word of mouth, books and, increasingly, the internet.”

Conceived in dialogue with artist Shilpa Gupta’s multimedia installation, this book brings together many of the poets featured in the installations, every one of them persecuted for their words. Much like the installation it is named for, the book is an immersive experience, featuring illustrations and images alongside written pieces.

In the end, this anthology speaks truth to power and is a testament to the community of words.

For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit Edited by Shilpa Gupta,

Salil Tripathi

304pp, ~699; Westland