"Relationships seem to be the basic theme that weaves into most all of yor stories. Poignant are stories of broken relationships. But the most beautiful part of your stories are the IMAGERY. It is rich, graphic and all pervasive. It makes the reading not only powerful but also pretty and oh, so touching."
~Vasudha Gupta (Ph.D.),
Licensed Psychologist,
USA
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
My film Parwaaz can be viewed on youtube
My film, Parwaaz, which showed successfully at several international film festivals, now available for your viewing pleasure , online here. With subtitles in English.
Here
Here
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
My Presentation on The Story teller and Imaginative Spaces
A talk I had given earlier this year at CeC 2011, the Carnival of e-Creativity.I was one of the Primary Participants here.
I spoke on the Storyteller and his contribution to society. How, as a writer I consider myself a storyteller and my awakening as a writer to the various aspects of existence through the path of writing.
I speak also of Imaginative Spaces, what they mean to me as writer, and how collaboration is so important for synergy to take place.
It is an introduction to the process of writing, story telling, and through it, realization.
It is available on you tube and you can watch it and comment upon it here.
I spoke on the Storyteller and his contribution to society. How, as a writer I consider myself a storyteller and my awakening as a writer to the various aspects of existence through the path of writing.
I speak also of Imaginative Spaces, what they mean to me as writer, and how collaboration is so important for synergy to take place.
It is an introduction to the process of writing, story telling, and through it, realization.
It is available on you tube and you can watch it and comment upon it here.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
On my story ,'The Gourd Seller'
"While all the short stories in this anthology are viable narratives, the two
that stand out from the lot, to my mind, are “Seiji” by George Polley and “The
Gourd Seller” by Abha Iyengar. Polley’s story is about an artist who grew up
and spent his life in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan. With his intimate and
persistent grasp of the devastating violence in the aftermath of the Second
World War, the artist responds creatively to the given reality and looks beyond
the ravaged remains around him for light and life. Along another track of
violence, Iyengar’s story, set in the Indian city of Kanpur, depicts a Hindu
widow, Reena’s strange fascination for Altaf, the gourd seller, who falls victim
to communal violence. The story exudes the local aroma and ambience and the
literal translation of Reena’s outbursts has unmistakable Indian flavour."
~ Murari Prasad
B.N. Mandal University, India
on my story in this collection: A Rainbow Feast: New Asian Short
Stories.Mohammad A. Quayum, ed. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2010. 328 pp.
ISBN 978-981-4302-71-5.
The link here:
http://asiatic.iium.edu.my/asiatic/article/Asiatic%204.2%20pdf%20files/Murari.review.pdf
that stand out from the lot, to my mind, are “Seiji” by George Polley and “The
Gourd Seller” by Abha Iyengar. Polley’s story is about an artist who grew up
and spent his life in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan. With his intimate and
persistent grasp of the devastating violence in the aftermath of the Second
World War, the artist responds creatively to the given reality and looks beyond
the ravaged remains around him for light and life. Along another track of
violence, Iyengar’s story, set in the Indian city of Kanpur, depicts a Hindu
widow, Reena’s strange fascination for Altaf, the gourd seller, who falls victim
to communal violence. The story exudes the local aroma and ambience and the
literal translation of Reena’s outbursts has unmistakable Indian flavour."
~ Murari Prasad
B.N. Mandal University, India
on my story in this collection: A Rainbow Feast: New Asian Short
Stories.Mohammad A. Quayum, ed. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2010. 328 pp.
ISBN 978-981-4302-71-5.
The link here:
http://asiatic.iium.edu.my/asiatic/article/Asiatic%204.2%20pdf%20files/Murari.review.pdf
Sunday, May 29, 2011
'Yearnings' , my book of poems...a review by Chryselle
"Finally, I was able to give much-deserved time to Yearnings, a collection of poems by Abha Iyengar. Abha is a very versatile and talented writer. This is the first time I’ve read her verse and it is lovely. This book is sensuous, sultry, full of “strange stirrings”. I rather liked ‘Where love has gone’ which reminded me of regrets, of things said and done, of words leaving the mouth irretrievably. “That’s not what I meant at all” is always a whisper at the end of an argument. I also really liked ‘Raktjaba (Hibiscus)’, ‘Arch’, ‘As the Light Dies’ (which could be fodder for a short story…). ‘Everything Natural’ brought a chuckle (“Early morning smells / of cottage cheese underarms /and smoked tongues..), as did ‘Wait’ (“Don’t grope for the easy things”). Abha has a new flash-fiction collection out called ‘Flash Bites’. Read more about it here."
Thank you, Chryselle.
Check out her very interesting blog at : http://thefrangipanijournals.wordpress.com/author/chryselle/
Thank you, Chryselle.
Check out her very interesting blog at : http://thefrangipanijournals.wordpress.com/author/chryselle/
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
My Flash Fiction collection available online
FLASH BITES by Abha Iyengar is a collection of flash and micro fiction, telling stories in a few words,letting the reader in into a world and allowing her to fill in the gaps to arrive at her own iinterpretations. The stories are sometimes down- to -earth and sometimes surreal. They open a different door to let the light in on what may seem to be the mundane and ordinary. They give an insight into what lies beneath the surface of things, people and places. They are short, pithy, and sharp in their impact.
You can read more about Flash Bites, sample a few excerpts, or buy the book online by visitng this link
To know more about Abha Iyengar and her writing, visit here.
Happy reading...
Abha
You can read more about Flash Bites, sample a few excerpts, or buy the book online by visitng this link
To know more about Abha Iyengar and her writing, visit here.
Happy reading...
Abha
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Review of Yearnings by Hasmita Chander
thursday, february 17, 2011
Book Review: Yearnings by Abha Iyengar
I'm not a great reader of poems, but as a lover of literary expression in any form, I was drawn in by Abha Iyengar's sample poems from her book Yearnings. Drawn in enough to immediately order a copy of her book.
As the title makes clear, this collection is about longing, love, loss, passion and related emotions and situations. What I admire about Abha's poetry is its impressionist style of communication--it paints a quick, terse picture whose aim is to capture the moment and the emotion, and it does that effectively. In art, too, I have a deeper admiration of Impressionism than Realism. Realism merely portrays what the eye sees, albeit in careful, loving detail but Impressionism carries the heart of the artist as well--it is his choice to capture the subject in that particular moment, angle and light, and this choice and his quick strokes show intense focus and urgency to record and love that person, place or action at that moment.
Yearnings is a collection of 67 short poems that are a pleasure to read and re-read. In these poems, there's none of the embellishment that a lot of poetry falls prey to: the frills and lace that really point to nothing. Instead there's solid content, honesty and truth. For example, here's Travel:
If you give me a look
vistas open up
If you blow me a kiss
winds gather up a storm
If you hold my hand
my fingers touch smooth pillars
In unseen corridors
I travel blind
but belong.
Another one I like is Aroma:
Sometimes it takes just the aroma
Of freshly ground coffee beans
To make me fall into your brown arms.
I am vacuuming
The carpet,
Wiping the sweat off my
Hot brow,
And the whiff comes from across the hall
Of somebody casting the magic spell
With the help of a potent witches' brew.
I switch off the vacuum and
Remove my shirt.
Some of the other poems I enjoyed in this collection are Ice cream, Strange Lands, A Table, Two Poems, Echo, Grief, Shadows, Everything Natural and I Conserve.
Yearnings is available from Serene Woods and Flipkart.
Book Review: Yearnings by Abha Iyengar
I'm not a great reader of poems, but as a lover of literary expression in any form, I was drawn in by Abha Iyengar's sample poems from her book Yearnings. Drawn in enough to immediately order a copy of her book.
As the title makes clear, this collection is about longing, love, loss, passion and related emotions and situations. What I admire about Abha's poetry is its impressionist style of communication--it paints a quick, terse picture whose aim is to capture the moment and the emotion, and it does that effectively. In art, too, I have a deeper admiration of Impressionism than Realism. Realism merely portrays what the eye sees, albeit in careful, loving detail but Impressionism carries the heart of the artist as well--it is his choice to capture the subject in that particular moment, angle and light, and this choice and his quick strokes show intense focus and urgency to record and love that person, place or action at that moment.
Yearnings is a collection of 67 short poems that are a pleasure to read and re-read. In these poems, there's none of the embellishment that a lot of poetry falls prey to: the frills and lace that really point to nothing. Instead there's solid content, honesty and truth. For example, here's Travel:
If you give me a look
vistas open up
If you blow me a kiss
winds gather up a storm
If you hold my hand
my fingers touch smooth pillars
In unseen corridors
I travel blind
but belong.
Another one I like is Aroma:
Sometimes it takes just the aroma
Of freshly ground coffee beans
To make me fall into your brown arms.
I am vacuuming
The carpet,
Wiping the sweat off my
Hot brow,
And the whiff comes from across the hall
Of somebody casting the magic spell
With the help of a potent witches' brew.
I switch off the vacuum and
Remove my shirt.
Some of the other poems I enjoyed in this collection are Ice cream, Strange Lands, A Table, Two Poems, Echo, Grief, Shadows, Everything Natural and I Conserve.
Yearnings is available from Serene Woods and Flipkart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
