"Dey" is Tamil slang. A polysemic portal into community. It is "hey", "no", "yes"; it hails, it invites, it warns, it cajoles, it pleads, it loves. Just like Shivram Gopinath's Dey: a cross-genre, multi-tongued celebration of diasporic desire, complaint and joy that stretches what poetry can be. Part translation, part illustration, part verse, Dey is a love child of Tamil cinema tropes and themes, Singaporean hopes and dreams. A discordant soundtrack to migrant identity, an invitation to a language game, a retort to power. Rajinikanth, Lee Kuan Yew, durian fish soup fight for your eyeballs. A thick syrupy mix, that's what. Dey, read it.
Autorentext
Born in Chennai, India, Shivram Gopinath is a poet who has called Singapore a home for more than two decades, picking up a disdain for the typical, and a never-ending appetite for Thosai along the way. His work has been heard at literary festivals, dingy bars and living rooms across the Asia Pacific. He often teaches workshops structured around poetic identity. Shivram is a twice-winning Singapore National Poetry Slam champion. Dey is his debut collection.