3 Must-Read Moniza Alvi Poems

Moniza Ali is a Pakistani and British poet. Her work explores her identity, various cultures, and more. She won the Cholmondeley Award in 2002 and is considered one of Britain’s most important contemporary poets.

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An Unknown Girl

‘An Unknown Girl’ by Moniza Alvi depicts the poet’s intense connection with her native culture through an unknown girl in an Indian bazaar.

'An Unknown Girl' is one of Moniza Alvi's most renowned works. It explores the complex identities of second-generation immigrants and delves into the nuances of cultural belonging, showing their strange longing for a culture they did not grow up in but feel a sense of belonging to. Alvi's adept use of stream of consciousness captures the nuanced and confused state of identity compellingly. Notably, the poem's inclusion in England's GCSE exam syllabus underscores its significance and insightful portrayal of cultural identity.

I’ll lean across a country

With my hands outstretched

Longing for the unknown girl

In the neon bazaar.

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Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan

‘Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan’ navigates a girl’s bicultural identity, reflecting on gifts from Pakistan that evoke longing.

They sent me a salwar kameez

peacock-blue,

and another

glistening like an orange split open,

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The Wedding

‘The Wedding’ by Moniza Alvi depicts a wedding ceremony and a bride’s apprehensive approach to her new home in England and her new English family.

I expected a quiet wedding
high above a lost city
a marriage to balance on my head

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3 Must-Read Moniza Alvi Poems

An Unknown Girl

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