India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) invites you to

An Ode to Edgar Allan Poe 

A One Man Theatrical Performance by Vivaan Shah 

Edgar Allen Poe is the primary literary and dramaturgical influence on ‘The Forsaken Wilderness’, Vivaan Shah's new novel.

"In that sweet day, Along the ramparts plumed and pallid, A wingèd odor went away."

Actor and writer Vivaan Shah takes us on a theatrical journey as he pays tribute to Edgar Allen Poe, the literary and dramaturgical influence on his new novel, The Forsaken Wilderness.  

About the Performance:

Garbed in a black cloak, with the dark-block glasses of the blind like Beckett or Joyce, and a top hat evocative of the Undertaker, Vivaan will recite Poe’s mysterious poem The Haunted Palace, narrate his short story A Tale of the Ragged Mountains, and conclude with a spooky recitation of Poe’s Shakespearean poem The Conqueror Worm. Experience a performance that is comedic, mystical, poetic and ultimately eerie and terrifying! 

About the Book: 

Published in February 2023, The Forsaken Wilderness takes the reader on a spooky adventure on a mysterious mountain called Ranibaug, a peak never scaled by a mountaineering party before. A civil engineer, a mountaineer and a guide make a pilgrimage to this Himalayan mountain, forging ahead through abominable weather and starvation, to discover a temple at the top. Only this temple seems unlike anything else they’ve seen before. Much like the inspiration it draws from, the book creates moods of silence, adventure, eeriness, fear, and the fascination that surrounds all humans. 

The Forsaken Wilderness will be available for sale at the venue during the performance. 

Proceeds from this performance will be in support of India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) - an independent, nationwide, not-for-profit organisation that makes grants and implements projects across research, practice and education in the arts and culture in India, since 1995.

This event is in association with Motley Productions and Simon & Schuster India  

Venue partner: Champaca Bookstore

For queries contact: aditi@indiaifa.org or call +9173382 30397