Published Paper Details:

This paper examines the development of modern Indian English poetry with special reference to Nissim Ezekiel and his contribution to literary modernism in postcolonial India. Early Indian English poetry was largely influenced by British Romantic and Victorian traditions, focusing on idealism, mythology, and nationalism. However, after independence, Indian English poetry gradually shifted towards realism, urban consciousness, psychological conflict, and social criticism. In this transition, Ezekiel emerged as a major modernist voice who introduced intellectual discipline, irony, realism, and conversational language into Indian English poetry. His poems portray urban middle-class life, cultural confusion, emotional isolation, and social contradictions with honesty and satire. Through works such as Night of the Scorpion, The Patriot, and Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S., Ezekiel presents realistic aspects of contemporary Indian society. The paper also highlights the difference between romantic Indian English poets and Ezekiel's modernist approach. It concludes that Ezekiel played a significant role in establishing Indian English poetry as a mature and internationally recognised literary tradition.