Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

2022-10-20T14:51:11Z

robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

New page

{{short description|Collection of poems by Agha Shahid Ali}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The Country Without a Post Office
| image = The Country Without a Post Office Cover.PNG
| caption = Cover of first US hardcover edition (1997), also used for US paperback edition
| author = [[Agha Shahid Ali]]
| language = English
| pub_date = 1997
| country = America
| isbn = 9788184759969
}}

'''''The Country Without a Post Office''''' is a 1997 collection of poems written by the [[Indian Americans|Indian-American]]{{Efn|During an interview Ali said that all these designations would be true: "Kashmiri-American poet, Indian-American poet, South Asian-American poet, Muslim-American."<ref name=":jstor"/>|name=|group=}} poet [[Agha Shahid Ali]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://bostonreview.net/arts-society/manan-kapoor-country-without-post-office|title=The Country Without a Post Office|last=Kapoor|first=Manan|date=2019-08-29|website=Boston Review|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/bookshelf/country-without-post-office|title=The Country Without a Post Office|last=Gupta|first=Rahul|website=[[The Caravan]]|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> The title poem, which has become a symbol for freedom, is one of the most famous about Kashmir. In the decades since its publication, under renewed conflict and censorship in the region, it has been cited by politicians, protestors, academics and journalists. The collection brought Ali critical acclaim, universal praise and a [[Guggenheim Fellowship]].

== Description ==
''The Country Without a Post Office'' is Ali's third collection of poetry and, like the previous two collections, contains poems related to exile, yearning, and the loss of home and country.<ref name=":jstor">{{Cite journal|last=Benvenuto|first=Christine|date=2002|title=Agha Shahid Ali|journal=The Massachusetts Review|volume=43|issue=2|pages=261–273|jstor=25091852|issn=0025-4878}}</ref> This is in contrast to Ali himself, who was a "self described happy man".<ref name=":jstor" />

Some poems of the collection have [[Epigraph (literature)|epigraphs]] from poets such as [[W. B. Yeats]], [[Emily Dickinson]], [[Adela Florence Nicolson]], [[Charles Simic]], [[Zbigniew Herbert]], and [[Gerard Manley Hopkins]]. Numerous parts of the book are dedicated to Ali's friends, such as the prologue, which is dedicated to childhood friend Irfan Hassan. The collection itself is dedicated to his mother and to the American poet [[James Merrill]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poemanalysis.com/the-country-without-a-post-office-by-agha-shahid-ali/|title=Analysis of The Country Without a Post Office By Agha Shahid Ali|last=Kumar|first=Dharmender|date=2016-10-02|website=Poem Analysis|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> In the prologue, a line by Russian poet [[Osip Mandelstam]] is used as the epigraph, invoking [[Kashmir]] itself:<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":11" />

{{Blockquote|text=Let me cry out in that void, say it as I can. I write on that void:<br/> Kashmir, Kaschmir, Cashmere, Qashmir, Cashmir, Cashmire,<br/> Kashmere, Cachemire, Cushmeer, Cachmiere, Cašmir. Or Cauchemar<br/>in a sea of stories? Or: Kacmir, Kaschemir, Kasmere, Kachmire, Kasmir. Kerseymere?|sign=|source=|title=}}

For Ali, "home" largely refers to an "imaginary homeland" laden with [[Diasporic nationalism|diasporic]] feelings.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} By beginning with Mandelstam's poem, Ali tries to bring out the sheer scale of the tragedy in Kashmir by comparing it with [[Joseph Stalin|Joseph Stalin's]] Russia.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 59}} The collection covers themes such as exile, post-colonialism, and communication (both emotionally and in terms of self-knowledge).{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=11-12}} Ali's poetry also addresses the [[Kashmiri Pandit]] community; one of the poems in the collection is dedicated to [[Suvir Kaul]].<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":11" /> There is a poem titled "[[Hans Christian Ostro]]", about a Norwegian tourist who was captured by Al-Faran militants in Kashmir in 1995. [[Daniel Hall (poet)|Daniel Hall]] called this poem "the most poignant of Shahid's political poems".{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 82}}

In another poem of the collection, "I See Kashmir from New Delhi at Midnight", Ali tries to imagine the violence in Kashmir, going as far as to say, "Don't tell my father I have died", hinting at the [[Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir|disappearances in the region]]. This particular poem is dedicated to Molvi Abdul Hai, whose son Rizwan crossed over the border in the 1990s and was killed on the way back, dying unburied like many others.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 66-68}} The poem "A History of Paisley", juxtaposes a story about [[Shiva]] and [[Parvati]] with the violence in Kashmir.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 72}} The poem "Farewell" talks about how the [[Kashmiri Pandit]]s had to flee during the violence in the 1990s. This poem is introduced with the epigraph "They make desolation and call it peace",{{Efn|Which [[Calgacus]] said about the Romans|name=|group=}} by which Ali alludes that the whole population of Kashmir, both Hindu and Muslims, has become captive.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 74}} However, throughout the collection, Ali is hopeful for the return of the pandits and the return of peace.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 79}} He does though write in "A Pastoral" that the return is only possible when "the soldiers return the keys".{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 79}}

The collection also has a [[Letter (message)|letter]], "Dear Shahid", informing the world about a region from which no news is reported, and where violent death is common and "Everyone carries his address in his pocket so that at least his body will reach home". The usage of letters and post offices, harbingers of information, conveys Ali's search for information despite the lack of communications, even though everyone wants to share it.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 83}} Through the metaphors of letter and post offices Ali also bears witness to the tragedy in the region, narrating it to the world at the same time, and further wants the peace to return.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 85}}

===Title poem===
The title poem, "The Country Without a Post Office", was originally published under the title "Kashmir without a Post Office" in the ''[[Graham House Review]]''.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/country-without-post-office|title=The Country Without a Post Office|website=encyclopedia.com|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> Ali revised and expanded it for this edition.<ref name=":10"/> The poem was penned against the backdrop of an [[Kashmir conflict|armed uprising in Kashmir]] that peaked in 1990.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> There had been a total breakdown of state machinery, resulting in the suspension of postal services in the region for seven months.{{r|:2}} Some post offices were converted into bunkers by the army. In the poem, Shahid writes about "the land of doomed addresses",<ref name=":5" /> referring to letters and packages that piled up in post offices and went undelivered.{{r|:2}} He further goes on to talk about more haunting experiences during the conflict; he writes about longing and "the struggle to understand what is happening in his home and his heart".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/934413/a-country-without-a-post-office-in-kashmir-postal-services-remain-suspended-for-two-weeks|title='A country without a post office': In Kashmir, postal services remain suspended for two weeks|last=Lalwani|first=Vijayta|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.scoopwhoop.com/The-Country-Without-A-Post-Office-A-Poem-Only-JNU-Got-Right/|title=Within India, There's A 'Country Without A Post Office' And It Is Now Being Debated in Parliament|last=Zargar|first=Safwat|date=2016-02-26|website=[[ScoopWhoop]]|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> Ali also compares the misfortunes of [[Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus|exiled Hindus]] and oppressed Muslims.{{Sfn|Shabir|2013|p=Chapter 2 Page 79}}

The poem is written in four sections, each composed of three [[Octave (poetry)|octaves]].<ref name=":10" /> The first section describes the narrator returning to Kashmir, where images of minarets, astrologers, and postal inspectors are evoked.{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=8-9}} The next stanza refers to the violence in the region.{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=8-9}} Following the imagery of the first section, the second section introduces people trying but unable to talk to each other; no nation is mentioned on the postal stamps because the region is disputed.{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=8-9}} The third section has the narrator take on the role of a [[Mu'azzin|muezzin]], but instead of calling people to prayer he calls them to buy postage stamps before he is gone.{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=8-9}} In the fourth and final section, the narrator reads letters that have been piling up.{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=9-10}} Slowly the narrator descends into madness, ending with a personal thought that he would like to live forever.{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=9-10}}

The poem was inspired by a letter Ali received from a childhood friend, Irfan Hassan.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/these-words-never-reach/|title=A prisoner's letter to a lover begins: "These words may never reach you"|last=[[Muzamil Jaleel]]|date=2016-03-06|website=The Indian Express|access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref> The letter described an incident in [[Jawahar Nagar Srinagar|Jawahar Nagar]], Srinagar, where Irfan Hassan saw heaps of letters in a post office, and found many letters addressed to himself and Ali's father, sent by Ali. Irfan sent a letter through family to Ali telling him about this.<ref name=":7" /> The prologue of the book was dedicated to Irfan Hassan.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2XTb5YUxP0C|title=The Country Without a Post Office: Poems 1991-1995|last=Ali|first=Agha Shahid|date=2000|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-7530-037-8|language=en}}</ref>

==Critical reception==

The poem brought Ali a [[Guggenheim Fellowship]] and critical praise.<ref name=":jstor" /> American writer [[Hayden Carruth]] in his review said, "Ali speaks for Kashmir in a large, generous, compassionate, powerful and urgent voice ... Few poets in this country have such a voice or such a topic".<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://www.wwnorton.co.uk/books/9780393317619-the-country-without-a-post-office|title=The Country without a Post Office|isbn=978-0-393-31761-9|last1=Ali|first1=Agha Shahid|year=1998}}</ref> [[Edward Said]] noted that "this is poetry whose appeal is universal".<ref name=":4" /> [[John Ashbery]] called Shahid "one of America's finest younger poets".<ref name=":4" /> American writer [[Joseph Donahue]] wrote: "the poet envisions the devastation of his homeland, moving from the realm of the personal to an expansive poetry that maintains an integrity of feeling in the midst of political violence and tragedy. Kashmir is vividly evoked".<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/agha-shahid-ali|title=Agha Shahid Ali|last=Foundation|first=Poetry|date=2019-12-02|website=Poetry Foundation|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref>

== Impact and legacy ==
The title poem has been cited by cultural and political figures in the years since its publication. The reasons for the work being cited vary. From the poem being critically and universally praised,{{Sfn|Cengage|2003|p=17-18}}<ref name=":4" /> to it becoming one of the most famous poems to be written about Kashmir, it was a poem that connected to the land and the people of the region. It became a metaphor for a free country and anchored the larger collection that talked about the pain of Kashmir in a heartfelt and intense way.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> Ali's masterpiece deeply connected with and in turn influenced many Kashmiri writers.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Kashmiri novelist [[Mirza Waheed]] wrote, "For many of us, growing up amid this horror, it was Shahid who shone a light on the darkness... when I first read ''Country...'' it was akin to listening to someone making sense of my world to me for the first time".<ref name=":1" /> The title's literal meaning has also been used to describe modern-day communication restrictions in the region during times of conflict.<ref name=":2" />

A 2016 cultural evening organised in [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] (JNU) protesting the death sentences of two Kashmiri rebels convicted of [[2001 Indian Parliament attack]], which led to the [[JNU sedition row|sedition row]] involving [[Kanhaiya Kumar]], was titled 'The Country Without a Post Office'.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theweek.in/news/entertainment/2019/08/13/kashmir-without-post-office-when-agha-shahid-ali-poem-turns-prophetic.html|title=Kashmir without a post office: When Agha Shahid Ali's poem turns prophetic|website=The Week|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> Posters with the poem's name were pasted across the JNU campus.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/twitter-laughs-out-loud-as-jnu-row-inspires-rti-application/story-QCg25h7xO5o0VxIazl5mFN.html|title=Twitter laughs out loud as JNU row inspires RTI application|last=Saha|first=Abhishek|date=2016-02-21|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref> Following the controversy, a [[Right to Information Act, 2005|Right to Information Act]] application was filed related to the poem, to which the Chief Postmaster General of [[Srinagar]] replied: "A total of 1,699 post offices function in the J-K Circle, of which 705 post offices function in Kashmir Valley".<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":3" /> The title poem was also referred to in the [[Parliament of India]] in 2016.<ref name=":7" />

In 2019, Kashmiri author [[Mirza Waheed]] referenced the title in his tweet: "Kashmir is now officially The Country Without a Post Office. I'm so very sorry, Shahid".<ref name=":2" /> Soon after the [[Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir|revocation of Article 370]] in 2019 and the bifurcation of the state, a communications blackout prompted [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]] musician [[T. M. Krishna]] to recite Shahid's poem.<ref name=":0" /> A report in the ''[[Boston Review]]'' stated: "Kashmir has once again turned into a country without a post office".<ref name=":1" /> ''[[Scroll.in]]'' and ''[[Firstpost]]'' used the title as an article heading in August 2019.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/country-without-a-post-office-the-unconscionable-communication-siege-of-kashmir-must-look-beyond-public-order-and-state-security-7180611.html|title=Country without a post office: The unconscionable communication siege of Kashmir must look beyond public order and state security|last=Srikumar|first=Sanjana|date=18 August 2019|website=Firstpost|access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref> In September 2019, the Pakistani newspaper ''[[The Express Tribune]]'' ran an editorial titled "Country Without a Post Office".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/|title=Country without a post office|last=Editorial|date=8 September 2019|website=The Express Tribune|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref>

== References ==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|}}
*{{cite book|url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=28X2DAAAQBAJ&hl=en|title=A Study Guide for Agha Shahid Ali's "Country Without A Post Office"|last=Cengage|publisher=Gale [[Cengage|Cengage Learning]]|year=2003|isbn=9781410343369|location=United States of America}}
* {{cite book|url=http://hdl.handle.net/10603/161212|title=Cultural plurality and revival: A study of the poetry of Agha Shahid Ali (A PhD Thesis)|last=Shabir|first=Syed Humayoun|year=2013|location=[[Aligarh Muslim University]], India|hdl=10603/161212}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=L2XTb5YUxP0C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false The Country Without a Post Office] on [[Google Books]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Country Without a Post Office, The}}
[[Category:1997 poetry books]]
[[Category:Indian poetry collections]]
[[Category:American poetry collections]]
[[Category:Books about the Kashmir conflict]]

The Country Without a Post Office - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.