The Poetic Sensibility of Nissim Ezekiel: A Study of Select Poems

Abstract

The greatness of Nissim Ezekiel (1924-2004) lies greatly in his poetry of Indian sense and sensibility. He emerged as a brilliant Post-Independence English poet of India when Indian poetic scenario was suffering for existence. Ezekiel came with an entirely new poetic technique and it was his outstanding poetic sensibility that could communicate the future dreams and aspirations of India in view of the changed scenario. The present paper deals with Ezekiel’s poetic sensibility which is thoroughly Indian in style and manner. In his poetry, Ezekiel has depicted Indian life and Indian subject matter with Indian sense and sensibility. Indian concerns have been the major themes of Ezekiel’s poetry. His poetry is significant as it reveals Indian modes of social behaviour in all its multiplicity presented in English language. The paper also focuses on Ezekiel’s use of Indian idioms, Indian beliefs, Indian myths, the depiction of Indian rural and urban societies and Indian philosophical ideals in his poetry which justifies his poetic sensibility to be truly Indian.