Kamila Shamsie pays tribute to Agha Shahid Ali, and discusses his work with Mirza Waheed, plus readings.

This event is part of the opening weekend series of events at Rich Mix. To view all events on Saturday 8 October and purchase an all day ticket (£12), click here. Also available: an all day pass for events on Sunday 9 October (£12) and a weekend pass for both days (£20).*

Agha Shahid Ali, a Kashmiri American poet, translator, scholar, and teacher, wrote five books of poetry and edited an important collection of contemporary ghazals before his untimely death in 2001. His collections included A Walk Through the Yellow Pages, The Half-Inch Himalayas, A Nostalgist’s Map of America, The Country Without a Post Office, Rooms Are Never Finished (finalist for the National Book Award, 2001). His last book was Call Me Ishmael Tonight, a collection of English ghazals. Ali was also a translator of Faiz Ahmed Faiz (The Rebel’s Silhouette: Selected Poems) and became widely credited for helping to popularise the ghazal form in America.

In this event, drawing on images and selected passages, Kamila Shamsie pays tribute to his work, with readings from Mirza Waheed.

*NOTE: tickets for festival workshops purchased separately