One Man, Two Executions: Poems - Arjun Rajendran

"Experimental and inquisitive, these are poems that demand an imagination where 'Dravidian' is struck out for 'Darwinian' and 'whale' replaced by 'while', time becoming space like it does on a clockface." — Sumana Roy"Arjun Rajendran writes a poetry of genuine surprise and reinvention, soldering together the most far-flung elements of experience into a compelling lyric unity." — Anjum HasanIn this stunning and fiercely ambitious poetry collection, acclaimed poet Arjun Rajendran masterfully bridges historical archival depth with contemporary generational angst. Divided into three brilliant sections—Pondicherry, The Girl in the Peapod, and Were It Not For—the collection acts as a lyrical carousel that takes readers through a wild, beautiful, and deeply political ride across time, space, and memory.The book begins by resurrecting long-forgotten voices and surreal stories from 18th-century Pondicherry. Pulling inspiration from the meticulously kept historical diaries of Ananda Ranga Pillai, Rajendran paints vivid colonial tableaux: a French ship forced to change its flag to turn invisible to the lurking English fleet, blind men collectively contemplating a lunar eclipse, and an unfortunate soul condemned to the sheer, dark absurdity of a second executionJumping across centuries, the latter sections of One Man, Two Executions dive deep into the raw, fragile spaces of modern intimacy, global travel, phantom hauntings, and the shooting pains of mortality. Far from being mere text on a page, the spectres of the past and the anxieties of the present are given flesh and blood here. They infiltrate your memory and stain your consciousness, leaving behind the rich, unforgettable odours of durian, gunpowder, and human hypocrisy.For readers who seek a serious, high-velocity application of imagination to cultural and political histories, this book stands as a sterling, foundational example of poetry as a form of deep history-keeping

Why This Poetry Collection is a Essential Addition:

• A Masterclass in Historical Poetry: Boldly transforms archival colonial records into a living, breathing, and highly visceral poetic landscape.

• Luminous Critical Acclaim: Widely celebrated by prominent literary figures like Anjum Hasan and Sumana Roy for its unmatched metaphorical vision and linguistic invention.