FIFTH WALL : Looking back, moving on - Uddipana Goswami

Uddipana Goswami, Literary Editor

One year ends, another begins. For those given to sentimentalism, it is a big event – one that calls for retrospection, self-recrimination, rehaul. For those who go with the flow of time though, the more things change the more they remain the same. And so life goes on. We are trying here however, to claim for ourselves some space for negotiating between the two positions, an in-between stance that balances nostalgia with an enthusiasm for novelty, and sentimentalism with a forward-looking optimism. We approached a number of people to tell us about what books and authors influenced them, entertained them and/or enlightened them in the year that was. We also asked them to look ahead into the year that will be and tell us what book or author they are looking forward to reading in 2012. Through their eyes, this issue looks back in order to move forward.

In 2011, we have mourned the passing of two of the greatest icons the Northeast has produced in the last so many decades – Bhupen Hazarika and Mamoni Raisom Goswami. But we shall also continue our search for newer voices from the region that show the promise of literary genius. We cannot comment here on iconic potential, of course, because icons are, after all, made by the people and the institutions that people endorse. The aim of the literary endeavour undertaken by the Seven Sisters Post remains the discovery of newer or previously unheard voices from the region and their unfolding before a discerning audience. At the same time, the literary greats who have already made a mark for themselves and continue to inspire their readers shall also continue to grace our pages.

2012 will be a great year!