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 writte ...
from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. 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 monotheistic on ...
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 second- ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. 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 second- ...
. 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 money ...
, 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 language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
,
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 kn ...
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 seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
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 (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, 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
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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 kn ...
)
*''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
Menka Shivdasani is Indian poet. In 1986, she co-founded The Poetry Circle in Bombay, with Nitin Mukadam and Akil Contractor.
Bibliography
Poetry books
*''Nirvana at Ten Rupees'' published by XAL-Praxis Foundation, Mumbai .1990
* Stet, firs ...
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. H ...
, 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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
See also
*
Indian English Poetry
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 first ...
*
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 LamaHoshang 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