Atanaria“I am not the whisky you want, I am the water you need.”
You’ve probably already heard this famous, mythical phrase. It went viral on the internet during a conference with its author, the very famous Rupi Kaur. But beyond the poems that will transcend you to the depths of your soul, who is Rupi Kaur?
Originally from India, Rupi was born on October 4, 1992. She is a Canadian writer and artist best known for her poetry collections. She gained recognition with the release of her first book, Milk and Honey, in 2014. It was an international success, staying on the New York Times bestseller list for several months.
Milk and Honey, like her other poetry collections, is written and illustrated by her. In each book, Rupi addresses powerful subjects such as violence against women, abuse, loss, grief, but also love and femininity. Milk and Honey is structured into four parts: suffering, loving, breaking, and healing. Her book has sold over 3.5 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages. She is an artist of words and beyond. Her lines transport everyone into a world of subtle grays. She allows each reader to self-heal through collections so well-crafted that it almost gives you a headache.
Following this international success, she released The Sun and Her Flowers in 2017, another collection that this time delves into her origins. She surpassed her Milk and Honey record by selling over 4.5 million copies of this book. Finally, her latest book, released in 2020, is titled Home Body. Rupi Kaur focuses this time on the body and femininity, emphasizing self-acceptance and resilience.
In 2022, she released Healing Through Words, a personal development book intended to help us put words to our pains and write about our feelings and/or resentments.
Initially known for her social media content as an “Instapoet,” Rupi films herself reading her poems. In 2021, she produced Rupi Kaur Live, a special poetry show on Prime Video. In 2022, she produced a film titled This Place, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. She didn’t stop there and embarked on a world tour in 2023, traveling the globe to offer a unique show—a blend of poetic theatrical experience and stand-up comedy.
She has her own website where you can purchase her books (even though they are available EVERYWHERE), but more importantly, her artworks and keep up with her latest news.
The enthusiasm for this artist is international, but she deserves to be interstellar. Through her works, Rupi Kaur helps many women and people to heal, open up, forgive, accept, and move forward. She is an artist deeply committed to her values and convictions, and she will surely have many more things to share with the world. Avant-garde in her words, Rupi is a light amidst the darkness; her words caress your skin and make you feel her emotions wherever you go. If you need to breathe and take a break, grab one of her books and embark on a spiritual journey into a world where every feeling is accepted, heard, and understood. And if, like me, you end up constantly hoping for a fourth book, you can always listen to “Broken English,” Rupi Kaur’s first audio track available on all platforms in the meantime.
