Easterine Kire is a poet and author who currently lives in northern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and th ...

. The majority of her writings are based in the lived realities of the people in

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

in north-east India. Her motivation to write is summed up in this statement by her in an interview, "I felt we needed to create written Naga Literature. We have so much oral narratives but with oral dying out, it's all going to be lost." Apart from writing, she also performs

Jazz poetry Jazz poetry has been defined as poetry that "demonstrates jazz-like rhythm or the feel of improvisation" and also as poetry that takes jazz music, musicians, or the jazz milieu as its subject. Some critics consider it a distinct genre though others ...

with her band Jazzpoesi.

Early life

Easterine Kire was born on 29 March 1959 in

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

to an

Angami Naga The Angamis are a major Naga ethnic group native to the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. The Angami Nagas are predominantly settled in Kohima District, Chümoukedima District and Dimapur District of Nagaland and are also recognized as one ...

family from

Kohima Village Kohima Village is an Angami Naga village in Kohima District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is located in the northeastern part of the present-day Kohima Urban Area. The village is widely considered to be the second biggest village in Asia ...

. She did her schooling in Baptist English School. She then went to pursue her undergraduate study in

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a pop ...

followed by a course in journalism in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. She has a phD in English literature from

Savitribai Phule Pune University Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Poona, is a collegiate public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshk ...

Books

Easterine Kire published her first book of poetry in 1982 titled "''Kelhoukevira''". This was also the first book of Naga poetry published in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. Her novel "''A Naga Village Remembered''" published in 2003 was the first novel by a Naga writer in English. Her second novel was "''A Terrible Matriarchy''" (2007) followed by "''Mari''" (2010), "''Bitter Wormwood''" (2011) and "''Don't Run, My Love''" (2017). Her latest book "''Walking the Roadless Road: Exploring the Tribes of Nagaland''" was published in 2019. She has also written children's books, articles and essays. Her first children's book in English was published in 2011. Kire has also translated 200 oral poems from her native language. "A Naga Village Remembered" is about a battle between the British forces and one Naga hamlet. "A Terrible Matriarchy" highlights the internal and social strife that grips Nagaland as a state in India. "Mari" is a novel based on the Japanese invasion of India in 1944 via Nagaland. It is a true story of a young mother who lost her fiancé in the war and made the decision to move ahead and live her life. This is an example of how Kire through her works has tried to bring to the fore the everyday lives of the people in Nagaland. "Bitter Wormwood", yet again brought out the human cost (effect on human lives) which was involved behind all the news that made the political headlines from the North-East. Apart from bringing a focus on the vibrant Naga culture, Kire's work has also brought out the realities which have changed the lives of Naga women.

Awards and recognitions

Easterin Kire's "Son of the Thundercloud" has been awarded Bal Sahitya Puraskar by Sahitya Academy in 2018. In 2011, Easterine Kire was awarded the Governor's Medal for excellence in Naga literature. She was also awarded the Free Voice Award by Catalan PEN Barcelona. "Bitter Wormwood" was shortlisted for The Hindu Prize in 2013. "A Terrible Matriarchy" was selected to be translated into UN languages. Furthermore, the books "A Terrible Matriarchy", "Mari", "Forest Song", "Naga Folktales Retold" and "A Naga Village Remembered" have been translated into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. In 2015, her "When the River Sleeps" was awarded

The Hindu Literary Prize ''The Hindu'' Literary Prize or ''The Hindu'' Best Fiction Award, established in 2010, is an Indian literary award sponsored by ''The Hindu Literary Review'' which is part of the newspaper ''The Hindu''. It recognizes Indian works in English and ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kire, Easterine 1959 births Living people Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni People from Kohima Naga people