Hoshang Merchant
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Hoshang Dinshaw Merchant (born 1947) is a
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
from
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. Most of his writings are in English. He is best known for his anthology on gay writing titled ''Yaarana''.


Early years and education

Hoshang Merchant was born in 1947 to a working class
Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...
family in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. He was educated at Xavier's Lads Academy and St. Xavier's College,
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
. He has a Masters from Occidental College,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. At
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mo ...
, he studied Renaissance and Modernism, and for his PhD (1981), wrote a dissertation on
Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...
. He has lived and taught in
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...
,
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and Iran where he was exposed to various radical movements of the Left. Merchant is openly gay.
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
in
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
has published seventeen books of his poetry since 1989. Rupa and Co. published his book of poems ''Flower to Flame'' in 1992 in the New Poetry in India series. The Rockefeller got him ''Bellagio Blues'' (2004). ''Yaraana: Gay Writing from India'' (Penguin, 1999), ''Forbidden Sex/Texts'' (Routledge, 2009), ''Indian Homosexuality'' (Allied, 2010), ''The Man Who Would Be Queen: Autobiographical Fiction'' (Penguin, 2012) and ''Sufiana: Poems'' (2013) are among his notable works.


Teacher, poet and critic

Since the mid-80s, Hoshang Merchant has made his home in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
, where he taught English at
University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (IAST: ''Hydarāvād visvavidyālayamu'') is a top ranking public central research university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students a ...
. He has written 20 books of poetry, and four critical studies. He edited India's first gay anthology ''Yaraana: Gay Writing from India''. ''Secret Writings of Hoshang Merchant'' (OUP: New Delhi, 2016), edited by Akshaya K. Rath, is his most recent publication.


Works


Poetry

* ''Flower to Flame'' (1989, Delhi: Rupa & Co.) * ''Stone to Fruit'' (1989, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Yusuf in Memphis'' (1991, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Hotel Golkonda: Poems 1991'' (1992, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''The Home, the Friend and the World'' (1995, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Jonah and the Whale'' (1995, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Love's Permission'' (1996, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''The Heart in Hiding'' (1996, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''The Birdless Cage'' (1997, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Talking to the Djinns'' (1997, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Selected Poems'' (1999, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Bellagio Blues'' (2004, Hyderabad: Otherwise Books, Spark-India) *''Homage to Jibanananda Das'' (2005, Contemporary World Poetry Series, London: Aark Arts)


Critical studies

*''In-discretions: Anaïs Nin'' (1990, Calcutta:
Writers Workshop Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
) *''Forbidden Sex, Forbidden Texts'' (2008, Delhi: Routledge)


Edited

*''Yaarana: Gay Writing from India'' (1999, New Delhi: Penguin)


Appearances in the following poetry Anthologies

* ''Anthology of Contemporary Indian Poetry'' (2004) ed. by Menka Shivdasani and published by
Michael Rothenberg Michael Rothenberg (1951 – 2022) was an American poet, songwriter, editor, artist, and environmentalist. Born in Miami Beach, Florida, Rothenberg received his Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He ...
, Big Bridge
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.


See also

* Indian English Poetry *
Indian poetry in English Indian English poetry is the oldest form of Indian English literature. Indian poets writing in English have succeeded to nativize or indianize English in order to reveal typical Indian situations. Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is considered the firs ...


References


External links


Hoshang Merchant: A Critical Biography by Bhaskar Lama

Hoshang Merchant: Poet, Teacher, Lover

"Sar Pe Lal Topi Parsi" by Hoshang Merchant
Outlook.com, 20 August 2001, accessed 27 October 2009
"Hoshang Merchant - The Poetry of Jalwah" by Aparajita Roy Sinha
Channel6magazine.com, accessed 27 October 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant, Hoshang 1947 births Living people English-language poets from India Gay writers 20th-century Indian poets Indian expatriates in Iran Indian expatriates in Israel Indian expatriates in the United States Indian male poets Indian LGBT writers LGBT Zoroastrians Occidental College alumni Parsi people from Mumbai Poets from Maharashtra Writers from Mumbai Purdue University alumni St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni 20th-century Indian male writers