Noted poet Sivakami Velliangiri graciously guest edited the poetry section of the August (Monsoon) 2019 edition. This season had a theme – anecdotal poetry, a genre that has not been dealt with in any print or online journal so far. The editor had been toying with the ‘anecdotal’ for the past forty years. She was curious and anxious to see to what level our poets could take the ‘anecdotal.’
Anecdotal Poetry
Anecdotal poetry is poetry that has to do with exploring everyday reality, carefully feeling the way by touching on and observing situations that might seem ordinary and mundane, yet are very specifically experienced in the ever present-I. The poems however should not get stranded in the anecdotal or merely impart a certain atmosphere. They should maintain and possess more ‘content’. Everyday reality is sketched in a contemplative and slightly melancholic or jovial tone, without becoming sombre or cheerful. Anecdotal poetry is that which grows sparser, less ironical, and is looking for consolation in the complexity and seeming futility of life. The ego is pushed into the background, in favour of characters who are present in a somewhat narrative anecdotal context. An inner voice must emerge in the anecdotal aspect—you must make it possible to discern the beauty in the layers of language. Anecdotal poetry must have its quality, its own voice, its liveliness and its variations.
Specimen Poems
Anecdotal poetry is generally easy to follow. In the Guest Editor’s words:
“We all grow from childhood, and our memory of that time and space ranges from the warm and secure to the distant or fearful. Anecdotes can be crafted from this. The best ring true and echo with all of us. For instance, I have a poem about a car journey. I have heard it said that my mother did not complete her driving tests. She did not learn to ‘reverse’. This alone would not have made an interesting poem. So I planned a trip to the Western Ghats in my head, made the driver leave the key in the car, and planned the poem in such a way that it would dangle at the verge of a deep dark gorge. You need to trawl back on possible anecdotes. You need to choose something that is sufficiently focused and self-contained or else the writing will be slightly lengthy and weighty. With one clear idea, you can write an anecdotal poem, only you have to be cautious choosing line breaks at sensible points. Choosing the insignificant and carefully crafting, selecting and shifting to the barest of bones without being over-poetic or fancifying the language; one well-chosen image and a powerful image can do the trick.
Donald T .Nigli writes about so many homes in as many cities. I coveted the Anecdotal form from him, more or less.
Most of Arjun Rajendran’s poems are Anecdotal poems. K. Srilata, too has many an anecdotal poem.
The challenge will be to use the Anecdotal form whichever way you want to elevate the poem.
Anecdotalism is a few steps down the same road through the greater infusion of reality.”
Here are a few poets you can read to get a flavour of the genre:
- https://indianculturalforum.in/2017/05/15/six-poems-by-arjun-rajendran/
- https://www.poetryinternational.org/pi/site/poem/item/4448/auto/0/FOREFATHERS-DOWNSTAIRS-NEIGHBOURS
- https://www.poetryinternational.org/pi/site/poem/item/23274/auto/0/Making-love-in-a-summer-oak
- https://www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts/76996/the-cinnamon-peeler
- https://scroll.in/article/743833/three-emerging-indian-women-poets-with-voices-you-cannot-ignore
You can read the complete Volume here:
