Contents: Preface. 1. Poetry of the flux? 2. Poetry of Ordinariness? 3. Poetry of the Opposites. 4. Poetry of Unified Sensibility. 5. Ezekiel's Philosophy of Poetry. 6. Hymns in darkness. 7. Ezekiel--the mystic. 8. Ezekiel's Indianness. 9. Important themes.

"The book is a study of the poetry of Nissim Ezekiel in the context of Bergson creative evolution, a living, pushing force, an Elan vital. For Ezekiel, flux, not fixity is the real. But he finds that India and the people have unfortunately relapsed into the static mould where inertia reigns to mutilate and deaden life. With his kind irony that heals without hurting, Ezekiel reminds us of our spiritual heritage, which one taught us not to withhold or plan ahead but dive into the vital impulse and pure devotion and be once with others and the Supreme reality, like the mystics of the old." (jacket)