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9789369890903 691dc121accd1dc0d6a5f654 Portraits From Memory https://www.midlandbookshop.com/s/607fe93d7eafcac1f2c73ea4/691dc122accd1dc0d6a5f680/81oltfhmqbl-_sy466_.jpg

Portraits from Memory brings together two collections of pen-portraits, Ateet ke Chalchitra (Moving Pictures of the Past, 1941) and Smriti ki Rekhayen (Lines of Memory, 1943), written by Mahadevi Varma, perhaps the greatest Hindi woman poet of the twentieth century and a magnificent writer of prose.

The author tells the unforgettable life-stories of many people she knew. An agricultural labourer's little son who exchanges his clothes for a watermelon to present to his teacher; poverty-stricken women who support their families single-handed, hoping for an education in the next birth; an unskilful potter who, inspired by calendar art, manages to produce a beautiful image of Saraswati. One gets glimpses, too, of Mahadevi's own unusual life as a single woman who, in the early twentieth century, lived and travelled by herself, forging relationships across class, gender, age, nationality, occupation, and species.

Translated into English by the inimitable Ruth Vanita, these sketches are a testament to the courage, generosity, dignity, and striking individuality of the unsung Indians who built modern India, a poignant tribute to those who have left an indelible imprint on our present.

 

Review

'Testimony to her long engagement with the best of modern Hindi literature, Portraits from Memory brings together Ruth Vanita's translation of two timeless gems - Mahadevi Varma's Ateet ke Chalchitra (1941) and Smriti ki Rekhayen (1943) - that have lost none of their lustre over the last eighty years and more. It opens with an introductory essay about Mahadevi's life and work that, besides being comprehensive, is refreshingly free of the kind of anachronistic ideological presuppositions that often mark critical assessments of masterpieces from earlier times. The importance of Mahadevi Varma, the iconic forerunner of modern-day feminists, can never be overemphasized.' - GEETANJALI SHREE

'Oral histories, the nuanced view, the startling philosophy, and the music of Mahadevi Varma's prose - its assonance and alliteration - informed by experience and analysis, are skilfully brought to life in Ruth Vanita's layered new translation of the iconic Hindi text.' - SARA RAI

About the Author

MAHADEVI VARMA, generally considered the greatest Hindi woman poet of the twentieth century, was born on Holi in 1907. She took an MA in Sanskrit from Allahabad University, and became residential principal (later, vice-chancellor) of the pioneering women's institution, Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth. She worked in the Gandhi-led movement for independence, and edited several journals, most notably the women's magazine Chand. She was one of the four pillars of the chhayavad movement in Hindi poetry, and authored several collections of poems, such as Nihar (1930), Rashmi (1932), Nirja (1933), Yama (1939), and Deepshikha (1942). Her prose works include reminiscences, pen portraits, essays on women's predicament (Shrinkhla ki Kariyan, 1942), and works of literary criticism, such as Sahityakar ki Astha (1962). She translated numerous works from Sanskrit to Hindi. She founded a trust to support writers in need. In 1979, she was the first woman to be made a fellow of the Sahitya Akademi. Among other awards, she received the Jnanpith Award in 1982, the Padma Bhushan in 1956, and the Padma Vi
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Portraits From Memory

Portraits From Memory

ISBN: 9789369890903
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  • ISBN: 9789369890903
  • Author: Mahadevi Varma
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial
  • Pages: 272
  • Format: Paperback
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Book Description

Portraits from Memory brings together two collections of pen-portraits, Ateet ke Chalchitra (Moving Pictures of the Past, 1941) and Smriti ki Rekhayen (Lines of Memory, 1943), written by Mahadevi Varma, perhaps the greatest Hindi woman poet of the twentieth century and a magnificent writer of prose.

The author tells the unforgettable life-stories of many people she knew. An agricultural labourer's little son who exchanges his clothes for a watermelon to present to his teacher; poverty-stricken women who support their families single-handed, hoping for an education in the next birth; an unskilful potter who, inspired by calendar art, manages to produce a beautiful image of Saraswati. One gets glimpses, too, of Mahadevi's own unusual life as a single woman who, in the early twentieth century, lived and travelled by herself, forging relationships across class, gender, age, nationality, occupation, and species.

Translated into English by the inimitable Ruth Vanita, these sketches are a testament to the courage, generosity, dignity, and striking individuality of the unsung Indians who built modern India, a poignant tribute to those who have left an indelible imprint on our present.

 

Review

'Testimony to her long engagement with the best of modern Hindi literature, Portraits from Memory brings together Ruth Vanita's translation of two timeless gems - Mahadevi Varma's Ateet ke Chalchitra (1941) and Smriti ki Rekhayen (1943) - that have lost none of their lustre over the last eighty years and more. It opens with an introductory essay about Mahadevi's life and work that, besides being comprehensive, is refreshingly free of the kind of anachronistic ideological presuppositions that often mark critical assessments of masterpieces from earlier times. The importance of Mahadevi Varma, the iconic forerunner of modern-day feminists, can never be overemphasized.' - GEETANJALI SHREE

'Oral histories, the nuanced view, the startling philosophy, and the music of Mahadevi Varma's prose - its assonance and alliteration - informed by experience and analysis, are skilfully brought to life in Ruth Vanita's layered new translation of the iconic Hindi text.' - SARA RAI

About the Author

MAHADEVI VARMA, generally considered the greatest Hindi woman poet of the twentieth century, was born on Holi in 1907. She took an MA in Sanskrit from Allahabad University, and became residential principal (later, vice-chancellor) of the pioneering women's institution, Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth. She worked in the Gandhi-led movement for independence, and edited several journals, most notably the women's magazine Chand. She was one of the four pillars of the chhayavad movement in Hindi poetry, and authored several collections of poems, such as Nihar (1930), Rashmi (1932), Nirja (1933), Yama (1939), and Deepshikha (1942). Her prose works include reminiscences, pen portraits, essays on women's predicament (Shrinkhla ki Kariyan, 1942), and works of literary criticism, such as Sahityakar ki Astha (1962). She translated numerous works from Sanskrit to Hindi. She founded a trust to support writers in need. In 1979, she was the first woman to be made a fellow of the Sahitya Akademi. Among other awards, she received the Jnanpith Award in 1982, the Padma Bhushan in 1956, and the Padma Vi

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