Agha Shahid Ali and the Form of Ghazal: Shahid's Contribution to Ghazal Writing in English

Agha Shahid Ali (1949-2001), a Kashmiri - American poet who was born in Kashmir and died in America, lived in Kashmir, Delhi and in the US during lifetime and wrote only in English. His fascination towards the form of ghazal from his early youth gradually developed into conscious practice of the form. This article is a study of Shahid’s ghazals, it aims at presenting an overview of his ghazal writing and his endeavors with the form of ghazal. Arguably, ghazal is one of the oldest forms of poetry still in practice; it emerged in 7th century Arabia, matured in Persia and therefore it is called an Arabic-Persian form of poetry. Rooted in the Arabic-Persian traditions, ghazal has a set of rules different from any other forms of poetry. In order to write a ghazal, its practitioner has to follow a particular format and structure.