Easterine Kire

Easterine Kire is a poet and author who currently lives in northern Norway. The majority of her writings are based in the lived realities of the people in Nagaland in north-east India. Her motivation to write is summed up in this statement by her in an interview, "I felt we needed to create written Naga Literature. We have so much oral narratives but with oral dying out, it's all going to be lost." Apart from writing, she also performs Jazz poetry with her band Jazzopesi.

Early life

Easterine Kalu was born in March 1959 in Nagaland (North-East India). She did her schooling in Kohima. She did her undergraduate study in Shillong followed by a course in journalism in Delhi. She has a phD in English literature from Pune University.

Writings

Easterine Kire published her first book of poetry in 1982 titled "Kelhoukevira". This was also first book of Naga poetry published in English. Her novel "A Naga Village Remembered" published in 2003 was the first novel by a Naga writer in English. Her second novel was "A Terrible Matriarchy" (2007) followed by "Mari" (2010) and "Bitter Wormwood" (2011). She has also written children's books, articles and essays. He first children's book in English was published in 2011. Kire Has also translated 200 oral poems from her native language.

"A Naga Village Remembered" is about a battle between the British forces and onr Naga hamlet. "A Terrible Matriarchy" highlights the internal and social strife that grips Nagaland as a state in India. "Mari" is a novel based on the Japanese invasion of India in 1944 via Nagaland. It is a true story of a young mother who lost her fiance in the war and made the decision to move ahead and live her life. This is an example of how Kire through her works has tried to bring to the fore the everyday lives of the people in Nagaland. "Bitter Wormwood", yet again brought out the human cost (effect on human lives) which was involved behind all the news that made the political headlines from the North-East.

Apart from bringing a focus on the vibrant Naga culture, Kire's work has also brought out the realities which have changed the lives of Naga women.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2011, Easterine Kire was awarded the Governor's Medal for excellence in Naga literature. She was also awarded the Free Voice Award by Catalan PEN Barcelona. "Bitter Wormwood" won the Hindu Prize in 2011.

"A Terrible Matriarchy" was selected to be translated into UN languages. Further, Mari has been translated into German.

References

^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

1. ↑ "Easterine Kire — Author | The Hindu - Lit For Life". thehindulfl.com. Retrieved 2016-10-16. 
2. ↑ "Easterine Kire | Zubaan". zubaanbooks.com. Retrieved 2016-10-16. 
3. ↑ "Easterine Kire Iralu | reviewNE". reviewne.com. Retrieved 2016-10-16. 
4. ↑ http://www.languageinindia.com/july2015/subhragenderpoliticsdiscrimination.pdf
5. ↑ http://indpaedia.com/ind/index.php/Easterine_Kire_Angami