On the Shelf

ENGLISH, POEMS
By Jeet Thayil
Penguin India
Price: Rs 150
Jeet thayil’s earlier collection of poetry, Apocalypso, drew effusive praise from fellow poets. He was hailed as India’s leading poet writing in English. Will his latest collection Thayil seeks to consolidate that eminence. In the years since he has expanded his area of interest considerably, and a restless outsiderness underpins his meditations from vantage points in Hong Kong, New York City, Bombay and elsewhere.

SONGS OF THE SAINT OF INDIA
By John Stratton Hawley and Mark Juergensmeyer
Oxford University Press
Price: Rs 450
These writings on six saints of north India and their poetry has been in print for more than twenty years. This, however, is the first time it has been printed in India. The authors take a wide sweep, including short biographies of Ravidas, Kabir, Nanak, Surdas, Mirabai and Tulsidas and present a sampling of their songs and poems. Years ago A.K. Ramanujan endorsed the volume with these words: “We hear the original voices: we hear Kabir cut through sham and his wit, Nanak meditate, Surdas shape his words to his vision, and Mira sing.”

THE BOOK OF TREES
By Risto Isomaki and Maneka Gandhi
Other India Press
Price: Rs 190
Clusters of trees become living communities as the writers sweep through stories, legends, botanical data and ecological realities. In the process, a strong environmental imperative acquires a human perspective.