"If I were choosing the title for this session, it would be the sound of failure”, acclaimed poet Jeet Thayil said at the Times Litfest. In a freewheeling chat with writer Jerry Pinto, the Narcopolis author reflected upon failures of different kinds. Above all, they cheekily dissected what it means to be an Indian poet writing in English.
“The only thing we always expect as Indian poets is to go out of print soon”, said Pinto wittily. The Mumbai-based writer has published collections of poetry such as Asylum and, I Want A Poem and Other Poems.
Both Pinto and Thayil, who have also published several works of fiction, also talked about how reading their earlier poetry often leads to unease and a questioning of abilities. “Every poem at some point is a failure,” Thayil said in his usual style laced with dry humour. He won the Sahitya Akademi award for his collection of poetry, These Errors Are Correct, published in 2008.
The duo, deemed to be ‘comrades in poetic arms’ by Pinto, also read some of their poems for an enthralled audience. The pieces dealt with grief, changing contours of the nation, and flight announcements, among other things. The one that drew the loudest applause though was Thayil’s The Benefits of Growing Older. It only contained a long silence, no words.
