The Olfactory as a Metaphor: ReadingSujatha Bhatt’s ‘The Stinking Rose

Abstract

Sujatha Bhatt’s poetry has this visceral feature which proves that she is a poet of exile and that she feels the binary opposite tug of language and culture. This paper analyses Sujatha Bhatt’s collection of poetry ‘The Stinking Rose’ looking at binary opposites and the tension between cultures, that inform all of Bhatt’s poetry, investing it with power and force. Her use of Olfactory images as metaphors are discussed in detail as they play a significant role in bringing her text to life.