Tuhin Das: Exile Poems: In the Labyrinth of Homesickness

Tuhin Das’s Exile Poems: In the Labyrinth of Homesickness, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha, comprises 65 poems written in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after Das was forced to flee from his home in Barishal, Bangladesh. The collection chronicles his innermost thoughts, insuppressible fears, and poignant observations as he considers both places–the one he has left behind and the one offering him sanctuary. Das’s story is one of resilience, meditative self-reflection, and courageous rebellion as he navigates a new life in exile and continues to fight for freedom of expression.

Tuhin Das will be in conversation with Tony Leuzzi.

Tuhin Das is a Bengali poet currently living in the U.S. Over the last 20 years, his poetry criticism, 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 left his home country, Bangladesh, in 2016 and was granted asylum in the U.S. in 2021. 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. Das’s work has appeared in Words Without Borders, The Bare Life Review, The Offing, Epiphany, and Immigrant Report. An interview with Das was featured in World Literature Today.

Tony Leuzzi is a poet, critic, and art maker whose books of poems include Radiant Losses (New Sins, 2010), The Burning Door (Tiger Bark, 2014), and Meditation Archipelago (Tiger Bark, 2018). Passwords Primeval (BOA

Editions, 2012) is a collection of his interviews with 20 American poets. He has received numerous teaching awards and the State University of New York’s Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship and Creativity. A staff writer for the “Books” section of The Brooklyn Rail, Tony’s interviews and criticism have been published in Lambda Literary, SCOUT Poetry, American Literary Review, Great River Review, The Kenyon Review (Online), The Poetry Society of America, and elsewhere.

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Exile Poems: In the Labyrinth of Homesickness

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