Noshi Gilani

Noshi Gilani (Urdu: نوشی گیلانی ‎) (born 1964) in Bahawalpur Pakistan is an Urdu poet and a former academic from the Islamia University, Bahawalpur Pakistan. She has written several books of poetry.^{[1][2] [3]}

Personal life

Gilani was born in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. She studied at Bahawalpur University. She settled in San Francisco, USA in 1995. She moved to Australia after her marriage to Saeed Khan an Australian-based Urdu poet in 2008. The couple lives in Sydney,Australia.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Literary career

The candour and frankness of her poems is unusual for a woman writing in Urdu and she has gained a committed international audience, performing at large poetry gatherings in Pakistan, Australia, Canada and the USA. Unknown outside the Pakistani community, the translations mark her introduction to an English-speaking audience.^[10] She is a member of younger generation of female poets. Her experience of living in USA shows a notable impact on her significant number of poems. Living through Diaspora has increased the complexity of her poems and reinforced her sense of female identity and introduced a new revolution against restraint creative writers in Pakistani society.^[11]

In 2008, her some poetry work was translated into English and her poems were read in the UK, with the Poetry Translation Centre's World Poets' Tour.^[4][12] Gilani is also credited with co-translating the great Australian poet Les Murray into Urdu language. These works were published in Tasteer Literary magazine in Islamabad in its December 2011 edition.^[13] She hosted a tribute to folk singer Pathanay Khan, sponsored by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).^[14]

Gilani co-founded the Urdu Academy of Australia (Sydney) in 2009. The Academy organises monthly sittings in Sydney to promote Urdu Poetry and literature.,^{[13][15][16][17]}

Her new book of poetry Hawa Chupke se Kehti Hai (The Breeze Whispers) was published in June 2011 in Lahore, Pakistan. The new book received such a warm response that its first edition was reported sold out within 2 hours of its arrival in Urdu Bazar. The book has created a great buzz and interest among Urdu literati and readers since Gilani’s last poetry book was published in 2003. ^[18]

Bibliography

Poetry books:

• Mohabatain Jab Sumar Kurna (When you would count affections) (1993)
• Udas Honay Kay Din Naheen (These are not the days to be sad) (1997)
• Pehla Lafz Mohabat Likha (The first word was written "Love") (2003)
• Selected poems like Ay Meeray Shareek-E-Risal-E-Jaan
• Hum Tera Intezaar Kurtey Rahey (And I kept waiting you!) (2008).^[11]
• Noshi Gillani poems, (Enitharmon Press, 2008), translators: Lavinia Greenlaw; Nukhbah Langah, ISBN 978-1-904634-75-1
• Hawa Chupke se Kehti Hai (The Breeze Whispers), Mavra Publishers, Lahore (June 2011)

References

External links

• Recordings of Poetry reading
• Lavinia Greenlaw and Nukhbah Langah read 'You know only dreams' by Noshi Gillani, 18 October 2008
• Poetry Translation Centre presents World Poets’ Tour 2008
• VIPSA’s multi-lingual mushaaira attracts massive interest, World Sikh News, 13 August 2008