Voices International - An anthology of World Poetry

Editor's note

The poet has a two fold nature, as man and as artist. Poetry comes from a mysterious inner compulsion and a fully conscious technical discipline: it is a process in which both living and language mingle, meaning and method marry, visions and revisions play their parts. From time immemorial, poetry has been striving to provide solace, peace, amusement and enduring pleasure to mankind. Primarily poetry imitates life and communicates this imitation to its reader.

Today poetry in general is complex, because there is ravenous complexity all round. Poets do not write for themselves, or a select audience or a particular country. Their audience is the entire world.

In July 1981, I visited U.S.A. to attend 'the 5th World congress of Poets in San Francisco. I met several poets of international repute from various countries who expressed their desire for a very comprehensive and representative anthology of contemporary world poetry.   Hence this anthology.

The treasures inside are the shimmering glimpses of world poetry that is being written toddy, characterized by diversity, universality, and strife. Not every poem in this anthology is a jewel in the literary sense, but each one, verbal emerald as well as verbal opal has its intrinsic quality and character. Together they represent a cultural and Poetic Treasury.

73 poets, writing in English, are carefully selected, representing all regions of the world. This is just an experiment. I feel sure this anthology has a significant appeal in view of the documentary value of the thought, spirit and attitude of the "Voices International". It also endeavours to project a very representative panorama of the tradition, growth, achievement and historical perspective of the contemporary literary world.

I am grateful to Dr. Krishna Srinivas for his scholarly "Introduction".

I also thank the poets in this unique anthology for their variegated verses.

I am sure these "Vioces International'' will be heard, appreciated and preserved by poets, critics, and institutions of higher learning all over the world.

SYED AMEERUDDIN

 Madras - 30-6-82

( Book Description - VOICES INTERNATIONAL - An Anthology of World Poetry - Published by - Sayeeda Publication - Chennai - in 1982 -  72 World Poet's Poetry Collection in 184 Pages )