Sudeep Sen Poet & Writer

From being a student of one of Delhi’s most prestigious schools to a teacher of creative writing, in various universities In Europe, Sudeep Sen has indeed come a long way. Yet few people know that he is also brilliant poet with many anthologies to his credit. Young Sudeep is currently based in London,but on an average he spends 3-4 months in New Delhi, his home town, every year.

My personal association with Sen dates back to the90’s when his first collection of poems The Lunar Visitations was published and created quite a stir. The glitzy up market magazine Society desired to give him coverage, and the job had been assigned to me.

A decade later, Sen has carved a niche for himself in the international literary world, his works having been widely acclaimed by renowned literary figures including Vikram Seth, Dom Moraes and Nissim Ezekiel.

His writings have appeared in India, USA & UK in leading newspapers and magazines such as Times Literary Supplement, Guardian, Independent, Financial Times, Evening Standard, London Magazine, Poetry Review, Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Herald, Telegraph, Boulevard, Poetry, Literary Review, Harvard Review, Times of India, Illustrated Weekly of India, Indian Review of Books, Outlook, Biblio, The Statesman & Society, amongst others; and broadcast on BBC, SABC, AIR.

Sen's poetry collections include: The Lunar Visitations, New York Times, South African Woodcut, Mount Vesuvius in Eight Frames, Dali's Twisted Hands, Lines of Desire, Monsoon, and, Postmarked India: New & Selected Poems (HarperCollins, 1997) which was awarded the Hawthornden Fellowship (UK) and nominated for a Pushcart Prize (USA). Among his numerous awards/fellowships include: a Bread Loaf Writers Conference Scholarship in the USA, the Faber & Faber poetry grant from the Arvon Foundation (UK).

He has been an international poet-in-residence at The Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University.

On behalf of NNE, I caught up with Sudeep Sen,(after a series of telephonic requests), during his sojourn in Delhi a few months back. Sitting at a posh restaurant in south Delhi, Sen was the epitome of politeness and affability. The replies to my queries were spontaneous outpouring of his heart. Though an NRI for all practical purposes, he seems to believe: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Here is what Sen spoke to National Network of Education about:

What was your early life like?

I have lived in Delhi for most of my life. I hail from a middle class family, which is deeply into music literature and poetry. At home we spoke mainly Bangla, while I conveniently learnt English and Hindi at school. Thus at a very tender age, I became rather fluent in all the three languages. I went to school at St Columba’s and subsequently joined Hansraj College (Under Delhi University) for my honours degree in English literature. Thereafter I joined Columbia University, New York for postgraduate studies in journalism and Mass communication.

What inspired you to take up writing?

I was always into writing. I enjoyed reading other people’s works. I primarily spent my apprenticeship year as a creator of texts. At that point of time I was not quite sure whether I could be a successful writer, because writing is not a lucrative career. Luckily, since my first work, my books have done well; things have worked out.

Why did you not opt for academics?

Well, I cared more for writing than teaching. Nonetheless now that I am making a living as a writer, I get offers from various European universities to teach English fiction and poetry writing.

Behind every a successful man, there is a woman. How far is it true in your case?

Let me point out that in my case there has been not just one woman, but a number of women as well as men who have helped me to succeed. This includes my family members and well wishers.

What is the common thread that runs through your works?

Architecture photography and music.

Who or what is your source of inspiration?

Everything around me. Living life as fully as one can, is a challenge, which comes with its ups and downs. Within that canvas you can find enough sources of inspiration. I have pursued photography as a strong interest; filmmaking was a natural fall-out of this. My writing incorporates the following elements: Literature, architecture and visual photography. My poetry draws a lot of inspiration from architecture and visual arts.

What does poetry mean to you?

Everything. That’s the reason I feel like living. Sounds silly but without poetry I would be doing things that I still want to do. I write poetry purely for private reason. I do not write poetry for other people. I write because I am enjoying it. I don’t see poetry as something aloof. It is grounded in reality. It is just like any other profession. A page is tactile, words are tactile, ink is tactile and a book is also tactile. These four tactile elements makes it (poetry) tactile.

Since your works depict strong architectural influences, do you feel some kind of affinity with Thomas Hardy whose works are renowned for their architectural traits.?

Yes, I admire Hardy a lot. Infact he happens to be one of my favourite authors. His ability to describe things clearly, succinctly and elegantly was a source of inspiration for me while I was growing up.

Can one earn a decent living by being a writer or a poet?

Generally speaking, you cannot make a living as a poet, writer or a painter, for that matter. But if there are enough people interested in your work, and your books sell and the publishers are willing to take risks to publish the ones in the pipeline, then it is fine.

ow would you describe yourself?

I teach English fiction and poetry writing. I write poetry criticism in various papers. I have also been translating Hindi Urdu and Bangla poetical works into English. These have comprised works of poets like Jibanananda Das, Agyeya and Kaifi Azmi.I am also actively involved in the publication of a literary magazine titled Aaark Arts.But first and foremost I am a writer.

How does one go about being a poet?

A young aspirant who writes poems must first and foremost make sure that his/her poems get in magazines and /or newspapers of repute. After this he/she needs to approach a publisher .If the publisher is impressed by the quality of the poems,he might take a risk and get them published at his own expense. If the collection gets a fairly good acclaim, then there is no looking back. Thenceforth the publisher will undertake to publish successive collections by the same individual.

What is your philosophy of life? Do your works reflect this?

Do what you can do, as best as you can, without hurting anybody. Yes it does reflect in my works. But if the readers get what I am trying to put across, therein lies the success. If their lives are moved even in a small way, then I feel it is worth it.

Please shed some light on your forthcoming book “ Monsoon”

You may well term it as the poetry of fluids. Rain, water and other fluids predominantly figure in these poems. The poems depict the real nature of water, the relationship between water and existence. It is cerebral in nature.

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(As told to Ruchira Ghosh)