H. Masud Taj

H. Masud Taj grew up in Bombay/Mumbai hearing poetry in Urdu recited in dinnertime conversations. Taj is an oral poet, calligrapher, and architect. As told by his friend Bruce Meyer, it took considerable badgering for Taj to commit some of his oral poems to written format. Taj is an award-winning professor of architecture at Carleton University in Ottawa. He holds degrees in architecture from the Bandra School of Art (Bombay) and from Carleton University.

Poetry

Alphabestiary: A Poetry-Emblem Book

Poetry by H. Masud Taj. Prose by Bruce Meyer.
Toronto: Exile Editions, 2011.
PS8639 .A365 A65 2011

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)

Combining East and West, this volume of poetry and prose ruminations presents a celebration of the international language of fauna—the animals that reside at the core of the imagination. Each letter of the alphabet is linked to a different living thing, allowing these creatures to exist in the fabric of language and providing a categorical list of the beings that travel within thoughts and dreams. In the tradition of the Eastern voice and the Western custom of exegesis and explanation, this volume allows two very different approaches to literature to converge, creating an experience that is accessible, informative, and entertaining..