Singing in the Dark: A Global Anthology of Poetry under Lockdown

K. Satchidanandan and Nishi Chawla (Edited) Penguin India, Rs 499

This book brings together the finest of poetic responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Over 100 esteemed poets reflect upon a crisis that has dramatically altered our lives and laid bare our vulnerabilities. The poems capture all its dimensions: the trauma of solitude, the unexpected transformation in the expression of interpersonal relationships, the even sharper visibility of the class divide, the marvellous revival of nature and the profound realisation of the transience of human existence. The moods vary from quiet contemplation and choking anguish to cautious celebration in an anthology that serves as an aesthetic archive of a strange era in human history.