The Wind Knocks and other Poems

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Mohammad Alvi, born on April 10, 1927 started his literary career in the late 1940s as a progressive poet, but was not satisfied Iwith his 'mediocre' output. In late 1950s, he started writing modern Urdu poetry and was satisfied with it. His fourth poetry collection Chautha Aasmaan (The Fourth Sky) was given the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu literature in 1991. Prof. Gopt Chand and Narang writes the following about Mohammad Alvi: "He is not a native speaker of Urdu language in the same sense as some people believe. Mohammad Alvi is native of Gujarat, and probably speaks Gujarati as well. The suppleness, sweetness of his Urdu must have flowed from Gujarati and other languages spoken in the area where he grew up." Mohammad Alvi is regarded as one of the foremost modern Urdu poets.

This book has English translations of selected poems from five of Mohammad Alvi's poetry collections, published between 1963 and 1994, and also those of some poems written after 1994. The selection of poems is by Baidar Bakht, whose selection was nevertheless influenced by critical writings of several modern Urdu critics.

Baidar Bakht, born in 1940, took his first degree in civil engineering from Aligarh. and M.Sc. and D.Sc. from London University. He is a bridge engineer by profession. Now retired from full-time employment, he is Adjunct Professor of civil engineering at the universities of Toronto and Manitoba. In Urdu literature he known for his many English translations of modern Urdu poetry. Since 1974, Baldar Bakht lives in Toronto, Canada, with his family.

Marie-Anne Erki, with Ph.D. in structural engineering, is a professor of civil engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada. She has collaborated with Baldar Bakht on many English translations of Urdu poetry. Fluently bilingual in English and French, she has a keen eye on the literature of the two languages. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, with her husband.

**Contents and Sample Pages**