About
Kamla K. Kapur (aka Kamal Kapur) was born and raised in India, and is a citizen of the United States. She got her Bachelor’s in English Honors from India, and her Masters’ Degree in literature from Kent State University, Ohio, USA, She also took classes in creative writing from the University of Iowa, and the University of California in San Diego. During her time in the USA, many of her poems were published in prestigious American journals and quarterlies.
She returned to India (1974-78), was a freelance writer for The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, and The Tribune, and taught English Literature at Delhi University. Her poetry and short stories were published in the original English and in Hindi and Punjabi translation in journals and magazines. In 1977, she won two prestigious Indian National Awards, The Sultan Padamsee Award for Playwriting in English. Her full length play, The Curlew’s Cry, a bi-lingual play, was produced by Yatrik, New Delhi. A Punjabi translation of her play, Clytemnestra was produced by The Company in Chandigarh. Her award-winning Zanana, was produced at the National School of Drama, New Delhi. Seven of her plays were published in Enact, New Delhi.
Since 1985, Ms Kapur has been commuting between the USA and India. Her full length plays, Hamlet’s Father, Kepler Dreams, and Clytemnestra were showcased at the Marin Shakespeare Festival in San Francisco, Gas Lamp Quarter Theatre in San Diego, and Dramatic Risks Theatre Group in New York, respectively. She was selected by the New Mexico Arts Division as the Playwright in Residence for two years. Five of her short stories have been published in Parabola (New York) and two in the anthology, Inner Journey: Tradition from India. She has recently completed her first novel, The Autobiography of Saint Padma the Whore, a chapter of which was published by in Our Feet Walk The Sky (Aunt Lute Press, Berkeley, California, USA), and a fantasy novel, Malini in Whirlwood.
Ms. Kapur has published two books of poetry: the critically acclaimed, As A Fountain In A Garden (Tarang Press.Del Mar,CA,USA-Hemkunt Publishers Private, Ltd., India, 2005) and Radha Sings (Rolling Drum and Dark Child Press, USA, 1987). Her poetry has also appeared in Yellow Silk (Berkeley, California), Journal of Literature and Aesthetics (Kerala), and the anthology, Our Feet Walk The Sky (Aunt Lute Press, Berkeley, California, USA).
Ms. Kapur was on the faculty of Grossmont College in San Diego, California for 18 years and taught creative writing courses in play writing, poetry, creative non-fiction, fiction, and courses in mythology, Shakespeare, and Women’s Literature. She lives half the year in a remote Kullu Valley in the Himalayas and the other half in California, with her husband Payson R. Stevens.
DENEICE KENEHAN on 17 Jan 2010 at 3:35 pm #
Warwicks on Wednesday, here I come!
Namaste~ DeNeice
muralidhara.l.v on 26 Jan 2010 at 6:09 pm #
Madam Ms Kamla K. kapoor,
Recently, i purchased the book titled “Pilgrimage to paradise” – Sufi Tales from Rumi (at very affordable price of Rs.200/- by Penguin Publishers )
I have read a few stories viz., The worth of a Pearl, And This belongs to, The Witch of Kabul and You never no why. I read the “preface” also.
I have to tell here that I am very happy reading these stories for their simplicity and easy flow. I wish to read all the stories as early as possible.
I have read several Zen stories and several Jataka tales earlier. I love them. I wonder reading them. But Sufi stories are certainly different from the Zen stories and the Jataka tales. I like them. I do not think that I am spiritual minded. The Power of reasoning and the knowledge of Science are helping me (?) to continue to remain rational minded. But I continue to wonder at the infinite ways of the nature. All my reading is for my pleasure – a kind of satisfaction of knowing some thing new.
One day if I can, I wish to translate the stories of this book “Sufi Tales from Rumi” in to my mother tongue kannada. Already, quite a few books are published in Kannada regarding the Sufi Saints and tbeir related stories. But the stories in this book are required to be translated in Kannada too for the benefit of interested kannada readers. I am sure many other Kannada readers who read this book may also think similarly and possibly some of them or one of them even try translating it in to Kannada in a short period.
As a reader, I congratulate for giving us excellent stories by Sufi Saint Rumi – told in a very simple and very readable language. A person like me who is not a student of English literature and studied English as a second language only in Schools and Colleges can read these stories effortlessly and enjoy reading them will indicate that this book will reach both learned and ordinary readers.
I wish the author write many more books and publish them in India at affordable price as in the case of the above mentioned book.
With regards,
muralidhara.l.v
26.01.2010
Flat no.1c, Saahana Apartments,
64, Sarat Bose Road, kolkata-700 025
kamla on 26 Jan 2010 at 6:18 pm #
Dear Muralidhara, thanks for your kind words. I am always pleased to hear that Rumi’s wonderful messages are coming through in my book. I am also very pleased that the book is so reasonably priced. I would love to see these stories in Kannad. I know there is a rather large highly educated kannad audience, as well as a great deal of literature in your language.
all the best,
Kamla
Dr. Nadi Palshikar on 17 Feb 2011 at 11:52 am #
am so happy to discover this blog.
write on