Key document: From Introduction to An Anthology of Marathi Poetry (1967)

Abstract

Dilip Chitre’s Anthology of Marathi Poetry, published in 1967, was the first anthology of Marathi poetry translated into English, and as such occupies a significant place in Indian literary history. It featured work by 20 prominent Marathi poets, including Arun Kolatkar, Lokakavi Manmohan, B.S. Mardhekar, Bhalchandra Nemade, P.S. Rege, Narayan Surve, and Chitre himself, in translations by Chitre. This document makes available again parts of Chitre’s extensive introduction, in which he discusses the historical and cultural contexts of Indian poetry at the time, and the literary traditions that influenced it. It also includes some of Chitre’s incisive, brief introductions to poets included in the anthology.

Keywords:

• Marathi poetry
• modernism
• Dilip Chitre
• modern Indian poetry
• translation
• anthologies
• influences