Name: Paper Mache Dreams
Author: Shyamolima Saikia

About this book

My first poetry collection titled Palimpsest was published in 2017. As it happens to every other author, the book was dear to me for being my first creative publication. Though wary at first of publishing my first book, I gradually built up self-confidence. No wonder the book was the result of some hope I had reposed in my creative expressions which I believed could be published. And I think that was the best decision of my life. Whereas the first poetry collection Palimpsest was an attempt to pen down variegated manifestations of life by one new to the art form, this second collection titled Paper Mache Dreams has shown a gradual evolution of style and thought of a poet mellowed with time and experience. The poems included in this second collection consist of works mostly written during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. An all pervading gloom, anxiety and uncertainty perhaps prodded me to secure some foothold and bring cheer and positivity to my life by dabbling in poetry. Several of these poems included in this collection have been published in online journals, anthologies etc. Somehow the publication of these creative works gave me a much-needed fillip to write more. It was also during the pandemic that I developed an interest in translation. Though I am quite a novice in the area of translation and believe that I still have a lot to learn about the art, I have tried my hand at translating or transcreating (to use a better word) a few poems by some noted Assamese poets. Readers, I suppose, will be better judges to decide if I have done justice to the art of translation or transcreation. Undoubtedly, I couldn’t have completed my second poetry collection without the support of my loved ones, mentors and friends. At the outset, I would like to offer my heartiest thanks to Dr. Santosh Bakaya poet, novelist, essayist, and TEDx speaker for writing the foreword to my book.