Agha Shahid Ali

1949–2001

Agha Shahid Ali Qizilbash was an Indian-born American poet. Born in New Delhi into a Shia Muslim family from Kashmir, Ali lived between India and the United States before permanently moving to the United States in his mid-twenties, where he became affiliated with the literary movement known as New Formalism in American poetry. His collections include A Walk Through the Yellow Pages, The Half-Inch Himalayas, A Nostalgist's Map of America, The Country Without a Post Office, and Rooms Are Never Finished, the latter a finalist for the National Book Award in 2001.