On the Isle of Right
It was a noble defeat for Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, the first poet outside of Anglo-American literature to ever contest the Oxford Professor of Poetry elections. He lost with a respectable 129 votes to winner Ruth Padel, who got 297 votes. It’s still a record of sorts, claims campaigner Amit Chaudhuri, for showing "that a real departure from well-worn insularity and familiarity has been achieved". The third contender, Derek Walcott, withdrew after a sexual harassment case was raked up against him.
Rocking Chair Win
And you thought libraries were places to check out books or sneak a nap in a stiff-backed chair under the gimlet eye of a librarian. The British Council has reinvented its library as a friendly place with a coffee bar and piped music, and late-night events like rock shows and films.
