Agha Ali, 52; Teacher, Poet Cited for His ‘Technical Virtuosity’

Agha Shahid Ali, 52, a poet who was a finalist for the National Book Award in poetry this year, died Dec. 8 in Amherst, Mass., of complications from a brain tumor.

Born in New Delhi, Ali grew up a Muslim in Kashmir, attending Catholic schools taught by Irish priests. He later lived in Indiana, where his parents were studying. He earned advanced degrees from Penn State University and the University of Arizona. He became a permanent resident of the U.S. in 1975, taught frequently in leading universities and later obtained U.S. citizenship.

Eight books of his poetry have been published. Of “Rooms Are Never Finished,” his most recent book, which was nominated for the National Book Award, Carol Muske Dukes wrote in The Times:

“What is timeless in these poems is the power of grief--sheer cliffs and drops of despair that he masters and spins into verse with astonishing technical virtuosity, employing his favorite form, the ancient ghazal, a leitmotif shaping a solemn, impassioned music.”