An apology for Persian Ghazal as a verse form : a study of selected Ghazals of Agha Shahid Ali’s "Call me Ismael tonight"

Abstract EN

This paper examines the basic elements that make up Agha Shahid Ali‘s ―authentic‖ ghazal form.

It examines three ghazals from Ali‘s collection, Call Me Ishmael Tonight: A Book of Ghazals (2003), showing how he had found a way to make a unique contribution to contemporary American poetry.

His literary achievement as a poet firmly rests on introducing the Persian ghazal form to the English speaking world.

Ali‘s handling of ―the Persian model‖ as ―the real thing‖ or the ―authentic‖ ghazal has earned him a reputation as one of the most ambitious contemporary poets who sought to make an uncommon traditional verse form accessible to a wide audience.

Formally as well as thematically, Ali has been able to find himself a firm stance in English poetry