M. Shahid Alam's poems charm through their wit, and satisfy through their insights into the paradoxes of the human condition. The influence of the Urdu and Persian literary traditions is most apparent, but other influences make themselves felt as well, including—perhaps surprisingly—the language-molding of Paul Celan and the plainspoken domesticity of William Carlos Williams. These lively poems of love, socio-political critique, nature, and the spirit reward the reader again and again.
