Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Tishani Doshi Says Poetry Endures Despite Predictions Of Its Death
Many people say poetry is too difficult or that nobody reads it anymore.
Tishani Doshi disagrees.
She says people often use poems when ordinary words are not enough.
Poems can help people express grief, celebrate important events and think about difficult experiences.
A poem may sound powerful even before someone understands every word.
Doshi believes this mystery is part of poetry’s value.
Her new collection connects war, climate damage, extinction and family history.
She also brings ideas from the past into conversations about today’s problems.
Anuradha Roy mentioned that poetry sales in the United Kingdom have reportedly been very strong, and Doshi welcomed the news.
Poet Tishani Doshi says people continue turning to poetry during death, illness, marriages, births and other major life transitions.
Doshi argues that poetry’s sound, mystery and unresolved meanings can affect readers before they fully understand a poem.
Her anthology Egrets, While War addresses environmental destruction, war, extinction, ancestry and grief.
Doshi says contemporary poetry inevitably responds to the news while connecting present crises with the past.
Anuradha Roy cited a Guardian report claiming poetry sales in the United Kingdom are currently unusually strong.
- Who
- Poet Tishani Doshi discussed poetry with novelist Anuradha Roy.
- What
- They discussed why poetry remains meaningful despite repeated predictions that it is dying.
- When
- During a conversation about Doshi’s anthology Egrets, While War; the date is not specified.
- Where
- The location of the conversation is not specified.
- Why
- Doshi believes poetry helps people face experiences and crises that ordinary language cannot fully express.
Poetry’s skeptics
Poetry’s defenders
Is poetry dying?
Poetry’s skeptics
Poetry is often viewed as intimidating, obscure and less immediately useful than prose, leading some people to predict its decline.
Poetry’s defenders
Doshi says people repeatedly return to poems during major life events and emotional transitions, showing that poetry remains needed.
Should poetry be immediately understandable?
Poetry’s skeptics
From this perspective, a poem’s difficulty or unresolved meaning may make it inaccessible to readers.
Poetry’s defenders
Doshi argues that sound, mystery and delayed understanding are central to poetry and encourage readers to slow down.
Can poetry respond to crises?
Poetry’s skeptics
Poetry cannot stop wars, reverse extinction or repair environmental damage.
Poetry’s defenders
Doshi believes poetry can preserve attention, shape grief and connect present catastrophes with the past.
- Poet
- Tishani Doshi
- Anthology discussed
- Egrets, While War
- Earlier award
- Doshi’s debut collection, Countries of the Body, won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2006.
- Major themes
- Environmental destruction, war, extinction, ancestry and grief
- Poetry’s role
- Doshi describes poetry as spell-making, prayer and something mysterious and embodied.
- Reported sales trend
- Anuradha Roy cited a Guardian report saying poetry sales in the United Kingdom have reportedly never been stronger.