The title of the talk is taken from Agha Shahid Ali's poem 'In Memory of Begum Akhtar,' dedicated to Saleem Kidwai.

This talk is based on one of the chapters in my work-in-progress PhD dissertation. But it will be conversational, intimate, and I will play some music afterwards.

Thank you so much ❤️

I read THE POISON PALACE while travelling in Italy, finding rare moments to commune with deep time amid the hills and castles, and the book unfolded settings and eras I've rarely seen in fiction with a graceful, fiery verisimilitude both intimate and mythic. It resounds in time.

To me it is also very much a Calcutta story, written with an intimacy and sensory detail that is rare. It is difficult to overstate how great this writing is; it's exciting to be reading and working at the same time as @indrapramitdas.bsky.social.

Congratulations, Vida!