New Delhi: “Here is the perfect companion to any stargazing app— Abhay K’s delightful poem Celestial distills the poetic wisdom of the ages in splendid rhyming couplets,” Christopher Merrill, Director, International Writing Program – The University of Iowa, stated.
The Bihar-born poet-diplomat Abhay K’s new illustrated poem, Celestial, is a cosmic journey to 88 star constellations. This breathtaking poem takes one on a poetic journey to all the 88-star constellations visible from Earth and reveals the hidden mysteries of the universe. In the words of poet, playwright, essayist, author, and translator Gabriel Rosenstock, it is “a litany to take us out of ourselves, into what Carl Sagan called ‘star stuff’, our ancient home!”
Inspired by the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Gaganyaan, Celestial is scheduled to release on November 1, 2023, and is also a visual feast. It features exquisite illustrations of 46 constellations by renowned tenth-century Persian astronomer ‘Abd al-Rah. mān al-S.ūfī.
Already critics are going gaga over the poem. Celestial has received acclaim from some leading practitioners of the art of poetry.
“Poetic inquiry at its finest… Celestial is a cultural gem, a mystical ludus,” said Roula-Maria Dib, a renowned poet and director of the London Arts-Based Research Centre.
Celestial is a love poem of 100 rhyming couplets wherein the poet restlessly seeks his beloved, who is playing a game of hide-and-seek in the remote corners of the universe. As poet, author and translator, Ko Ko Thett said, “Whether one is into stargazing for ‘frolicking with Regil Kentaurus’ or for ‘ploughing the celestial bog’, Abhay K offers love-laced couplets of stellar delight. One will read this book and find one’s poetic star”.
Looking forward to the release of his new poetry book, Abhay K. said: “Celestial is a one-of-a-kind poem that transcends poetry, art and astronomy and introduces the readers to all the eighty-eight-star constellations visible from the Earth. A poem of cosmic love, longing and desire accompanied by exquisite illustrations of the tenth-century Persian astronomer Al Rahman Al Sufi makes for a delightful read and a sheer treat for the eyes. I hope it will nudge more people to look at the night skies and revel in its wonder and beauty and preserve our heritage of dark night skies.”
On publishing the book, Bipin Shah, publisher and managing director, Mapin Publishing, said: ‘“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen”, said Leonardo da Vinci. In Celestial, Abhay charms us with both intertwined in a magical journey of the cosmos.’
Abhay K. is the author of a dozen poetry collections, including Stray Poems (Poetrywala), Monsoon (Sahitya Akademi, 2022), The Magic of Madagascar (L’Harmattan Paris, 2021), The Alphabets of Latin America (Bloomsbury India, 2020), and the editor of The Book of Bihari Literature (HarperCollins, 2022), The Bloomsbury Anthology of Great Indian Poems, CAPITALS, New Brazilian Poems and The Bloomsbury Book of Great Indian Love Poems. His poems have appeared in over 100 literary magazines, including Poetry Salzburg Review, Asia Literary Review among others. His ‘Earth Anthem’ has been translated into over 150 languages.
Abhay received the SAARC Literary Award in 2013 and was invited to record his poems at the Library of Congress, Washington DC in 2018. His translations from the Sanskrit of Kalidasa’s Meghaduta (Bloomsbury India, 2021) and Ritusamhara (Bloomsbury India, 2021) have won the KLF Poetry Book of the Year Award 2020–21.
– global bihari bureau
