The poet and novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla may well be called the sphinx of contemporary Hindi literature. Taciturn by temperament, soft and impassive in demeanour, inscrutable in intent and often obscure in meaning, he remains a riddle for many of his readers. Both as poet and novelist, he is highly admired by a band of fervent devotees, keeps winning prizes and awards, and leaves many of his readers bemused and mildly baffled. This substantial anthology of Shukla’s poems, translated into English by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, will give readers in English a fuller sample of Shukla’s writings, supplementing a collection of his short stories titled Blue is like Blue (2019), which Mehrotra had previously co-translated with Sara Rai. Earlier, Satti Khanna had translated into English a novel of his, A Window Lived in the Wall, and Mani Kaul had made a film on another novel, Naukar ki Kameez (The Servant’s Shirt). A film by Achal Mishra is forthcoming on Shukla and his world. The present volume contains Mehrotra’s translations of about 75 poems selected from Shukla’s poetry collections published between 1971 and 2013, and also some “new and uncollected” poems.
Vocabulary From The Passage:
(1) Sphinx – A mysterious or enigmatic person.
The Sphinx is a mythical creature from ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, often portrayed as having a human head and a lion’s body. It is most famously known for posing difficult riddles, such as the one in Greek mythology where the Sphinx guarded the entrance to Thebes and asked travelers a riddle—those who failed to answer were doomed.
In literature and language, calling someone a “sphinx” means they are mysterious, difficult to understand, or enigmatic, much like the mythical creature that spoke in riddles.
In the context of the passage:
- The poet and novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla is compared to a “sphinx” because his writing style is complex, his intent is unclear, and his meaning is often difficult to decipher.
- Ex: The actor plays him as a sphinx, with black eyes abd and a smile that has no meaning.
(2) Taciturn – Someone who speaks very little or is habitually silent.
- “Taciturn by temperament” suggests that Shukla is naturally quiet and reserved, not engaging much in conversations, which adds to his mystique.
(3) Temperament – a person’s character, especially that affects how he behaves and feels
(4) Impassive in demeanour – Showing no outward emotion or reaction.
- “Impassive” means not displaying emotions, while “demeanour” refers to one’s outward behavior or appearance. Together, this phrase means that Shukla appears calm and expressionless, giving no clues about his thoughts or feelings.
(5) Inscrutable – Impossible to understand or interpret. (रहस्यमये )
- Describing Shukla as “inscrutable in intent” suggests that his true thoughts and purpose in writing are not easily understood, making his works open to various interpretations.
- Ex: an inscrutable face/expression/smile
- Ex: He belives that a certain portion of life must remain inscrutable.
(6) Obscure – Unclear, difficult to understand, or hidden. (अस्पष्ट)
- “Obscure in meaning” indicates that Shukla’s writings are not straightforward; they are complex, ambiguous, and require deep analysis to understand fully.
Words like Obscure, ambiguous, and vague all related to a lack of clarity, but they have subtle differences in meaning and usage.
Word | Key Meaning | Example Sentence |
Obscure | Difficult to understand due to complexity | The poet’s ideas were obscure and required deep analysis. |
Ambiguous | Can have more than one meaning | The novel’s ending was ambiguous—did the character survive or not? |
Vague | Lacking clear details or precision | Her explanation was vague and didn’t clarify anything. |
(7) Riddle – A mystery or something difficult to explain. (पहेली )
- Calling Shukla “a riddle for many of his readers” means that his literary style and ideas are puzzling, leaving his audience trying to decode or interpret his works.
(8) Fervent devotees
- Fervent → Passionate, intense, deeply enthusiastic.
- Devotees → Dedicated followers or admirers.
“A band of fervent devotees” means a group of passionate admirers who deeply appreciate and follow Shukla’s work with devotion and enthusiasm.
Ex: She is a fervent believer in women’s rights.
(9) Anthology
Definition: A collection of literary works (poems, short stories, or essays) compiled into a single book.
📌 “This substantial anthology of Shukla’s poems” refers to a book that brings together a selection of his poetry, offering a broader sample of his literary work.
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