Interview: Tuhin Das (Author of Exile Poems: In the Labyrinth of Homesickness)

Tuhin Das’s Exile Poems: In the Labyrinth of Homesickness, translated from Bengali by Indian translator Arunava Sinha, comprises sixty-five poems written in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after Das is forced to flee from his home in Barishal, Bangladesh, in 2016. These poems chronicle Das’s innermost thoughts, insuppressible fears, and poignant observations as he considers both places, the one he left behind and the one that offered him sanctuary. Exile Poems: In the Labyrinth of Homesickness will be released in April 2022 by Pittsburgh publisher Bridge & Tunnel Books.

Exile Poems

 
Can you tell us about your life before coming to Pittsburgh?

I worked in a publication house in Barishal, my hometown, where I edited, coordinated with the illustrator to design magazines and books, and supervised print requests submitted to the printing press. I wrote literature and attended protests in my city.

How would you describe the literary scene in Pittsburgh?

I enjoy the vast quality and quantity of literary programs and cultural festivals sponsored by the universities, bookstores, libraries, and nonprofits. I appreciate their range of diversity and focus on local and/or international literature. In the future, Pittsburgh could explore joining UNESCO’s City of Literature network.

What makes Exile Poems different from your previous work?

Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have written a political novel and articles in Bengali, my mother language. I read artists’ diaries, including Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, Frida Kahlo, Anne Frank, and Sylvia Plath. Inspired by them, I was interested in sharing my story, raw and exposed, and wanted my writings published in English so they are accessible to a wider audience. I feature myself as the main character tenderly describing my vulnerable feelings of banished life.

The subtitle for your book mentions a labyrinth of homesickness. Can you describe what that means to you?

During my years in exile, I suffered complex confusion about my home country, family, culture, language, immigration, and literature. My exile feelings are a common theme in my recent poems, and the idea for the use of “labyrinth” conceptualizes my experiences. In Greek mythology, a labyrinth was a complicated structure in which a beginning might have seemed apparent but the path and process to the destination were tangled and uncertain.

What role has City of Asylum had in your life?

Before coming to the U.S., I was in trouble because of my writings about religious persecution. City of Asylum helped me out of that situation by providing an opportunity to relocate. This nonprofit is an important ally for persecuted artists who create awareness and bring about social change in their home countries.

In what ways does Pittsburgh remind you of Barishal?

I like the three rivers because they remind me of Barishal, which is situated on the Kirtankhola River. I come from a country where we have a “rainy season,” which usually consists of three months of monsoon, or constant rain, so I feel nostalgic on rainy days in Pittsburgh. I also enjoy the greenery because, like Pittsburgh, Barishal has a lot of trees.

How do you think Exile Poems will resonate with audiences who have experienced their own versions of exile during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Readers will find reflections of their pandemic exile and connect with my unthinkable situation. There are certainly parallels, and audiences will relate as they internalize and consider my yearning for my home country.

You were granted asylum in the U.S. in 2021. How has that impacted your life?

I can now concentrate on rebuilding my life and reimagining the future again.

TUHIN DAS is a Bengali poet currently living in the U.S. He comes from Barishal, a city in south-central Bangladesh. He was involved in the little magazine movement and has edited several literary magazines. Over the last twenty years, his poetry criticism articles, short stories, and opinion columns have been published in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. He is the author of eight poetry books in his native language. He is considered by critics to be a significant poet of Generation Zero and began publishing contemporary Bangladeshi literature in 2000. His life has been deeply impacted by groups who limit freedom of expression. Carnegie Mellon University invited him to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a visiting scholar, and City of Asylum invited him to join their writer sanctuary program as an ICORN writer-in-residence. He left his home country, Bangladesh, in 2016 and was granted asylum in the U.S. in 2021. Das’s work has appeared in The Logue Project’s Home Language, Words Without Borders, The Bare Life Review, The Offing, Epiphany, and Immigrant Report.
 
BRIDGE & TUNNEL BOOKS is an independent literary press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to celebrate the creative energy of the region by connecting readers to new and experimental work from local writers, poets, and artists. For more information, visit www.bridgeandtunnelbooks.com.

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