Abhay K.| Poet, Editor, Translator, Artist| : February 2026

CAPITALS

"As the world shrinks and border fences go up, and travel becomes both easier and more difficult, Capitals looks like the book to have. Frequent flyers can here rest awhile as can nimble-footed backpackers, and for those who are still curious to see what the poets in Moroni or Tegucigalpa are doing, I cannot think of a better place to begin." —Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

"In striking voices of every hue and shade, from some of the greatest cities of our globe, Capitals marries word and verse to elegance and fire, transporting history's ghosts and tomorrow's hopes in an inspiring journey of the soul." —Shashi Tharoor

"...disturbing and poignant....what an anthology!"—Shobhaa De

"This anthology is a powerful evocation of cities, communities and urban spaces across cultures and continents, histories and timelines." —Namita Gokhale

On Poetry of Abhay K.

"The geographies, both material and spiritual, of Nepal, the pinnacle of our world, have never been more lovingly rendered than in this, Abhay K’s splendid poetic sequence of praise, dazzlement, and wonder for a realm in which he sojourned as both a pilgrim and a friend."—Vijay Seshadri, Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

"Abhay K.'s words don’t sit outside and observe. They dig in, making their subject their home, and then they turn outwards, watching the landscape, the people, the city, change. The city makes him feel, and these feelings seep into his words." —The Hindu Book Review

"Abhay K’s Seduction of Delhi is not so much a city transformed as tenderly opened up and invited to commune with the world around it in both time and place.The transformations are gentle and humane: the history is deep and lightly worn. This is a beautiful way to be introduced to a great city as both specific and essence." —George Szirtes, Winner T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry

"Abhay K's poems serve up a Delhi, resplendent with character, torn asunder by marauders, patch-worked back several times with belief and faith - and above all saturated through with the touch of time and history."—The Times of India

"Qualities of love, tenderness and compassion set Abhay K's work apart from much of the general run of current poetics."— Jayanta Mahapatra, Major Indian Poet

"Abhay K has a special gift. His poetic mission, rare today, is simply to praise. His poems shimmer with a deep human appreciation of the gift of life and its fragile tapestry. I see them as Vedic hymns of praise in contemporary dress."—Gabriel Rosenstock, Major Irish Poet

"In these rapturous poems (in The Eight-Eyed Lord Of Kathmandu) Abhay K catches the allure and mystique of Kathmandu; its maze of medieval streets, its thronged bazaars, its twilit courtyards." —Cathal O'Searcaigh, Major Irish Poet

Abhay K.| Poet, Editor, Translator, Artist|

Home

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Penguin India publishes The Alphabets of Africa, a new poetry collection by Abhay K.