I’m joined by poet, scholar, and renowned translator Radha Chakravarty for a powerful conversation on the crossroads between translation and literature, feminism in writing, and the inner work of creating across languages.
We explore Radha’s life as a multilingual writer in India, her deep relationship with Tagore’s work, and what it means to be a translator of emotion, memory, and resistance. From pandemic poetry to the importance of community, we unpack the responsibility—and courage—of those who carry words across borders.
If you care about women in literature, literary translation, and writing that honors both heritage and innovation, this episode is for you.
Show highlights
0:00 – Intro & guest introduction
2:48 – Growing up multilingual and her early inspiration.
5:58 – On the mental work of translation: Inhabiting another writer’s voice.
8:16 – Handling criticism in translation
10:28 – Writing with the echoes of great voices in your head.
13:44 – A distinguishing factor among the greats
16:02 – Radha reads from Subliminal
18:24 – Pandemic poetry & global connection
22:02 – Seeing with new eyes
24:40 – The disconnect between writers' intent and market realities.
30:20 – Translating women, teaching women’s literature, and confronting erasure.
35:29 – On Starlight: The cosmic humility behind poetry
42:12 – Final reflections & thoughts on retirement43:54 – A heartfelt close to one of the show’s most poetic conversations.
📚 About the guest:Radha Chakravarty is a professor, poet, editor, and translator of over 23 books, including The Essential Tagore and Subliminal, a poetry collection named one of the best South Asian books of 2024.
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Guest’s links
Connect with Radha on X: https://x.com/radhachakravar2
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Host’s links
Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/
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