Rupi Kaur

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Lore & Background

Kaur was born into a Sikh family in Punjab, India, on 4 October 1992. At age three, she immigrated to Canada with her parents. She lived with her parents and three younger siblings in a one-bedroom basement flat, where they slept in the same bed. Her family eventually settled in Brampton, Ontario, while her father worked as a truck driver. When her father lived in Japan, he would write Punjabi poetry to Kaur's mother, who practiced painting. At age five, Kaur was compelled to take up her mother's hobby of painting; she was given a paintbrush and forced to draw. She performed kirtan and Indian classical music for several years. Kaur first began performing poetry in 2009. Her poetry at first received a lukewarm reception, having been told that she was too aggressive for certain venues or made some people uncomfortable. She started writing in an attempt to articulate her personal trauma, having just left an abusive relationship. In March 2015, as part of a university photography project, Kaur posted a series of photographs to Instagram depicting herself with menstrual blood stains on her clothing and bedsheets. Instagram removed the images, in response to which Kaur wrote a viral critique of the company's actions. As a result, her poetry gained more traction and her initially self-published debut poetry collection, Milk and Honey (2014), was reprinted by Andrews McMeel Publishing to widespread commercial success. After the success of Milk and Honey, Kaur describes struggling throughout the creation of her second collection, The Sun and Her Flowers (2017). Her third collection, Home Body (2020), is influenced by a desire to feel less pressure for commercial success and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reader's Guide

Rupi Kaur's significance lies in her role as a pioneer of Instapoetry, using social media to bypass traditional publishing and reach a global audience. Her work, though critically mixed—praised for her influence and derided for her verse—has achieved massive commercial success, with Milk and Honey selling over 11 million copies and translated into 43 languages. The menstrual blood photograph controversy highlighted issues of censorship and misogyny on digital platforms, further amplifying her platform. Kaur's poetry, accompanied by line drawings with stark subject matter, addresses themes of trauma, identity, and femininity, resonating particularly with young readers. She has been included on congratulatory year-end lists by the BBC and Elle, and controversially called 'Writer of the Decade' by The New Republic. Her legacy is tied to the democratization of poetry through social media and the normalization of discussing taboo subjects.

Did You Know?

• Kaur's father wrote Punjabi poetry to her mother while living in Japan, and her mother practiced painting—Kaur was forced to take up painting at age five.
• She performed kirtan and Indian classical music for several years before starting poetry.
• Her first poem posted on Instagram regarded a wife coping with her husband's alcoholism.
• In March 2015, Instagram twice removed her photos of menstrual blood stains, which she called 'an attack on my humanity'.
• Milk and Honey sold over 11 million copies and has been translated into 43 languages.