Meet English Alum Saleem Peeradina, MA ’73

Hometown: Mumbai

Degree: Master’s Degree in English Literature, 1973 

Current Employment:

I retired in 2012 as a Professor Emeritus of English at Siena Heights University. I am the author of First Offence (Newground, 1980), Group Portrait (OUP, 1992), Meditations on Desire (Ridgeway Press, 2003), Slow Dance (Ridgeway Press, 2010), Final Cut (Valley Press, 2016), and Heart’s Beast: New and Selected Poems (Copper Coin, 2017). I edited Contemporary Indian Poetry in English (Macmillan, 1972), one of the earliest and most widely used texts in courses on South Asian literature. An Arc in Time: Cultural Chronicles from the Last Half Century (Copper Coin, 2021) is a collection of essays. The Ocean in My Yard, a prose memoir of growing up in Bombay, was published by Penguin Books in 2005. 

What role has the English major played in your career path? 

English has played a central role from childhood onwards, turning me into a voracious reader—not just of English and American Literature but of World Literature—to which I have contributed in some measure with my six books of poetry, a memoir, and essays. It has given me insights into the human heart and challenging perspectives on politics and history. It has provided additional opportunities for travel and interaction with readers and lovers of literature.