Ghalib's poetry

From his teenage years onward, created a sensation. Written in both Persian and Urdu, it was lavishly praised by its admirers, and bitterly attacked by those who thought he was taking what should be lyrical, romantic, and mystically yearning poetry and twisting it into something far too cerebral and convoluted. The nearest parallel in English literature is perhaps the advent of the Metaphysical poets, with their consciously awkward constructions and unromantic metaphors (think of Donne and his twin compass-legs and his flea).

During his lifetime, Ghalib was given a lot of grief about his ghazals-- and much less praise than he knew he deserved. He was accused of creating fine-sounding but overwrought and even 'meaningless' poetry. Over the past century, though, his genius has shone forth with an authority that has been, if anything, increasing. A whole commentarial tradition has sprung up to assist the reader; there are also Ghalib Institutes and Ghalib Academies and Ghalib conferences and Ghalib journals and special Ghalib Numbers of other journals-- and movies, and many fancy coffee-table books, and an Indian tv serial.