GUWAHATI, Aug 11 - Selected Assamese Poetry-Volume II, a collection of Assamese poem translated into English by Surajit Borooah and published by Writers Workshop, was released at a function here today.
It was jointly unveiled by poets Anis Uj Zaman, Anubhab Tulasi and Archana Pujari in presence of a host of dignitaries.
The work includes poems of Prem Narayan Nath, Anubhab Tulasi, Anupama Basumatari, Deba Prasad Talukdar, Archana Pujari, Nilim Kumar, Nilima Thakuria Haque, Lutfa Hanum Selima Begum, Rajib Barua, Manoj Borpujari, Ismail Hussain, Bipul Jyoti Saikia, M Kamaluddin Ahmed, Birinchi Rabha, Atanu Bhattacharya, Manikuntala Bhattacharya, Mrinalini Saikia, Ganga Mohan Mili, Hridayananda Gogoi, Jibon Narah, Kushal Dutta, Pranab Barman, Danny Gaam, Bijoy Shankar Barman and Mridul Haloi.
The foreword of the book was written by eminent writer and former Director General of Assam police Harekrishna Deka.
�Translating poetry is not easy. It is nearly impossible to translate a poem word for word since the transfer from one language to another has to be such that the poem in the target language does not lose the intended significance of the original even if idioms undergo cultural adjustments,� Deka stated in his foreword.
Describing the work of poets as very sensitive, Harekrishna Deka wrote, �Each of them is distinct in outlook and different from the others, these poets yet represent, as a whole, the lived experience of their generations adjusting to the socio-political and natural environment of �liquid modernity�. They make meanings of the changing scenarios of modern life, often dealing with its complexities, sometimes with detachment, sometimes confronting it and sometimes seeking its essence.�
The translator, Surajit Borooah, is a former teacher of the English Department of Arya Vidyapeeth College, whose work of translation and other writings have been published in various journals of the State and the country, including �Indian Literature� published by the Sahitya Akademi.