Jayanta Mahapatra (born 22 October 1928) is an
Indian English
Indian English (IE) is a group of English dialects spoken in the republic of India and among the Indian diaspora. English is used by the Indian government for communication, along with Hindi, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. ...
poet. He is the first Indian poet to win a
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
award for English poetry. He is the author of poems such as
"Indian Summer" and
"Hunger", which are regarded as classics in modern
Indian English literature. He was awarded a
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
, the fourth highest civilian honour in India in 2009.
He returned the award in 2015 to protest against rising intolerance in India.
Indian Poets Trio
Mahapatra was part of a trio of poets who laid the foundations of
Indian English Poetry, which included
A. K. Ramanujan and
R. Parthasarathy
Rajagopal.Parthasarathy (born 1934) is an Indian poet, translator, critic, and editor.
Early life and education
Rajagopal Parthasarathy was born on 20 August 1934 in Tirupparaiturai near Tiruchchirappalli. He was educated at Don Bosco High Sch ...
. He differed from others in not being a product of Bombay school of poets. Over time, he has managed to carve a quiet, tranquil poetic voice of his own, different from those of his contemporaries.
Early life and education
Born into a prominent Odia Christian family, Mahapatra went to Stewart School in
Cuttack
Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literally ...
,
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
. He completed his M. Sc. in Physics from Patna University,
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. He began his teaching career as a lecturer in physics in 1949 and taught at various government colleges in Odisha including
Gangadhar Meher College, Sambalpur,
B.J.B College, Bhubaneswar,
Fakir Mohan College, Balasore and
Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. He superannuated at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack (now Ravenshaw University) and retired from his government job as the Reader in Physics in 1986.
[ Web page titled "Jayanta Mahapatra's Profile" at the ]Muse India
''Muse India'' is a literary e-journal based in Hyderabad, India. Since 2005, it has appeared bi-monthly in a web edition; it has no print version. In June 2017, Muse India was approved by the UGC as a literary e-journal. Its founder and manag ...
Web site, accessed 16 October 2007 He began his writing career in the late sixties. His short stories and poems were initially rejected by several publishers, until his poems were published in international literary journals. He was invited to participate in the
International Writing Program at Iowa, which brought him international exposure.
Literary works
Mahapatra has authored 27 books of poems, of which seven are in
Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
and the rest in English. His poetry volumes include ''Relationship'', ''Bare Face'' and ''Shadow Space''. Besides poetry, he has experimented widely with myriad forms of prose. His published books of prose include ''Green Gardener'', an anthology of short stories and ''Door of Paper: Essay and Memoirs''. Mahapatra is also a distinguished editor and has been bringing out the literary magazine, ''Chandrabhaga''. His poems have appeared in prestigious poetry anthologies like ''
The Dance of the Peacock: An Anthology of English Poetry from India'',
published by Hidden Brook Press,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
.
Mahapatra has also translated from Odia into English, and some of his translations are published in the bi-monthly literary magazine ''
Indian Literature
Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognised languages.
The earliest works of Indian literature were ...
''. Some anthologies of his translations have also been published.
Awards, recognition and legacy
In 1981 Jayanta Mahapatra won
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
award for his poetry book ''Relationships''. He became the first ever writer in English language to win Sahitya Akademi award. He is also a recipient of the
Jacob Glatstein
Jacob Glatstein (1896–1971) yiddish יעקב גלאטשטיין was a Polish-born American poet and literary critic who wrote in the Yiddish language. His name is also spelled Yankev Glatshteyn or Jacob Glatshteyn.
Early life
Glatstein was bor ...
memorial award conferred by
''Poetry'' magazine,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
. He was also awarded the Allen Tate Poetry Prize for 2009 from ''
The Sewanee Review
''The Sewanee Review'' is an American literary magazine established in 1892. It is the oldest continuously published quarterly in the United States. It publishes original fiction and poetry, essays, reviews, and literary criticism.
History
''T ...
''. He received the
SAARC Literary Award, New Delhi, 2009. He has also received Tata Literature Lifetime Achievement Award. He was conferred with a
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 2009 and awarded an honorary doctorate by
Ravenshaw University
Ravenshaw University, formerly known as Ravenshaw college, is a co-educational state university situated in Cuttack, Odisha on the eastern coast of India. Founded as Ravenshaw College in 1868, the institution became a university in 2006. The un ...
on 2 May 2009. He was also awarded a D. Lit. degree by
Utkal University
Utkal University (UU) is a Public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in Odisha, the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The pre ...
,
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
in 2006. In May 2019 he became the first ever Indian English poet to become a Fellow of the
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
.
Interview
* “The Hindu: Jayanta Mahapatra - A doyen of Indian-English poetry”''
Poetry readings
;Outside India
* University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1976
* University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 1976
* University of the South, Sewanee, 1976
* East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
* Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide, 1978
* P.E.N. Centre, Sydney, 1978
* Australian National University, Canberra, 1978
* International Poets Conference, Tokyo, 1980
* Asian Poets Conference, Tokyo, 1984
Books by Jayanta Mahapatra
;Poetry
* 1971: ''Close the Sky Ten by Ten'', Calcutta: Dialogue Publications
[Bibliography in Land by Jayanta Mahapatra. Authorspress 2013]
* 1971: ''Svayamvara and Other Poems'', Calcutta:
Writers Workshop
Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
* 1976: ''A Father's Hours'', Delhi: United Writers
* 1976: ''A Rain of Rites'', Georgia: University of Georgia Press
* 1979: ''Waiting'', Pune : Samkaleen Prakashan
* 1980: ''The False Start'', Bombay: Clearing House
* 1980: ''Relationship'', New York: Greenfield Review Press
*2017: ''Collected Poems'', Mumbai: Paperwall Publishing
Prose
* 1997: ''The Green Gardener'', short stories, Hyderabad: Orient Longman
* 2006: ''Door of Paper: Essay and Memoirs'', New Delhi: Authorspress
* 2011: ''Bhor Moitra Kanaphula'' (Odia), Bhubaneswar : Paschima Publications
Poetry in Odia
* 1993: ''Bali'' (The Victim), Cutack: Vidyapuri
* 1995: ''Kahibe Gotiye Katha'' (I'll Tell A Story), Arya Prakashan
* 1997: ''Baya Raja'' (The Mad Emperor), Cuttack: Vidyapuri
* 2004: ''Tikie Chhayee'' (A Little Shadow), Cuttack : Vidyapuri
* 2006: ''Chali'' (Walking), Cuttack: Vidyapuri
* 2008: ''Jadiba Gapatie'' (Even If It's A Story), Cuttack: Friends Publishers
* 2011: ''Smruti Pari Kichhiti'' (A Small Memory), Cuttack: Bijayini
Translations into English
* 1973: ''Countermeasures: Poems'', Calcutta : Dialogue
* 1976: ''Wings of the Past: Poems'', Calcutta : Rajasree
* 1981: ''Song of Kubja and Other Poems'', New Delhi : Samkaleen
* 1994: ''I Can, But Why Should I Go: Poems'', New Delhi :
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
* 1996: ''Verticals of Life: Poems'', New Delhi :
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
* 1998: ''Tapaswini: a Poem'', Bhubaneswar :
Odisha Sahitya Akademi
* 2001: ''Discovery and other Poems'', Kolkata :
Writers Workshop
Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
* 2003: ''A Time of Rising (Poems)'', New Delhi : Har-Anand Publishers
Awards
* Kanhaiya Lal Sethia Award for Poetry - 2017 (Jaipur Literature Festival)
* RL Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award for Poetry, 2013,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
.
* Second Prize – ''International Who's Who in Poetry'',
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1970.
* Jacob Glatstein Memorial Award – Poetry,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, 1975.
* Visiting Writer – International Writing Program,
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
1976–77.
* Cultural Award Visitor,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, 1978.
* Japan Foundation – Visitor's Award,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, 1980.
Appearances in the following poetry Anthologies
* ''A New Book of Indian Poems In English'' (2000) ed. by
Gopi Kottoor and published by
Poetry Chain and
Writers Workshop
Writers Workshop is a Kolkata-based literary publisher founded by the Indian poet and scholar Purushottama Lal in 1958. It has published many new Indian authors of post-independence urban literature. Many of these authors later became widely k ...
,
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
* ''Ten Twentieth-Century Indian Poets'' (1976) ed. by
R. Parthasarathy
Rajagopal.Parthasarathy (born 1934) is an Indian poet, translator, critic, and editor.
Early life and education
Rajagopal Parthasarathy was born on 20 August 1934 in Tirupparaiturai near Tiruchchirappalli. He was educated at Don Bosco High Sch ...
and published by
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
,
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...
Further reading
* 2001: Bijay Kumar Das, ''The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra'': 3rd revised and enlarged edition; New Delhi: Atlantic,
* 2006: Jaydeep Sarangi and Gauri Shankar Jha (eds), ''The Indian Imagination of Jayanta Mahapatra'', New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2006, , a compilation of critical articles.
Vedam's Books from India website
accessed 16 October 2007.
*Jaydeep Sarangi, ''Jayanta Mahapatra Joy of Living and Loving in His Poetry'', Aavishkar Publishers' Distributors, 2012, . Printed INR: 600.00, hardcover, 162 pp.
* Zinia Mitra, ''Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra Imagery and Experiential Identity'', Authorspress,2012, Hardcover, INR:500,172pp
*The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra: Themes & Imagery by Vivekanand Jha, New Delhi: Authorspress,2013
* Shiba Shankar Nath,"The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra:A Study in Imagery", Delhi:Authorspress,2014,.Printed INR: 700.00, hardcover,173 pp.
*''Rock Pebbles'', Vol. XV No.1, January–June 2011(a special issue on Jayanta Mahapatra)
See also
Biodata of Jayanta Mahapatra
* List of Indian poets
This list of Indian poets consists of poets of Indian ethnic, cultural or religious ancestry either born in India or emigrated to India from other regions of the world.
Assamese
* Amulya Barua (1922–1946), first published posthumously in ...
Notes
External links
Jayanta Mahapatra's Official Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahapatra, Jayanta
1928 births
Living people
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English
Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education
Recipients of the Gangadhar National Award
Poets from Odisha
Indian male poets
English-language poets from India
Odia-language poets
21st-century Indian poets
International Writing Program alumni
20th-century Indian poets
20th-century Indian male writers
21st-century Indian male writers
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship