Rana Nayar (born 1957) is a translator of
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
and short fiction from
Punjabi to English. He has more than forty volumes of poetry and translation works to his credit. He is also a theatre artist and has participated in a number of major full-length productions. He 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 ...
Golden Jubilee prize for his English translation of the
Punjabi devotional poetry of
Saint Baba Farid.
Education and career
Nayar taught English literature at
St Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom ...
's College in
Shimla
Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...
from 1980 to 1990. In 1990 he joined
Panjab University
Panjab University (PU) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both Punjab, India, State and Government of India, Union governments, it is considered a state university (Indi ...
,
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
, where he became Professor and Head of the Department of English and Cultural Studies. He has also served as visiting professor with
Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies
The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies was founded in 1991 and is the senior research institute at the University of British Columbia. It supports basic research through collaborative, interdisciplinary initiatives. The institute brings toge ...
.
Major works
A critic, scholar and translator, Rana Nayar has been a pioneer in bringing into
Punjabi translation a great number of classics from Punjabi literature. Among the prominent Punjabi authors he has translated are included such literary giants as Gurdial Singh, Raghubir Dhand, Mohan Bhandari and Beeba Balwant inter alia. He has translated two of Gurdial's novels, "Night of the Half-moon" and "Parsa". He has also translated 14 short stories by Gurdial under the title Ëarthy Tones".
Besides translating the works of such prominent women writers from
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
such as
Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam (; 31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. A prominent figure in Punjabi literature, she is the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award. Her body of wo ...
, Ajit Caur and Dalip Kaur Tiwana, he has helped in bringing to public notice such lesser known writers as Chandan Negi, who writes in both Punjabi and
Dogri
Dogri ( Name Dogra Akkhar: ; Devanagari: डोगरी; Nastaliq: ; ) is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, with smaller groups of speakers in adjoining regions of western Himachal Prad ...
. Rana Nayar was instrumental in revival of interest in Gurdial Singh's novels and short stories.
His first collection of poems (composed by himself) is titled ''Breathing Spaces'', which has received critical review and appreciation in Indian literary circle.
Critical and analytical writing
Rana Nayar's critical works on poetry include "Edward Albee : Towards a Typology of Relationships" published in 2003 by Prestige Publishers. His other critical works which are forthcoming include ''"Mediations : Self & Society"'', which is a collection of essays on Indian history, society and culture, and ''"Third World Narrative : Theory & Practice"''. He has made seminal contribution to historical analysis of Indian literary translation.
Awards and recognition
Rana Nayar has been a Charles Wallace (India) Trust Awardee, besides having won commendation awards for translation from
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
and ''Katha''. In 2007 he 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 ...
's Indian Literature Golden Jubilee Literary Translation Prize for Poetry. Rana Nayar is also on the editorial board of the prestigious Lakeview International Journal of Literature & Arts.
Bibliography
* ''Night of the Half Moon'', (1996),
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...
* ''Parsa'' (2000),
National Book Trust
National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian publishing house, which was founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. The activities of the Trust include publishing, promotion of books and reading, ...
* ''From Across the Shores : Punjabi Short Stories by Asians in Britain'' (2002),
Sterling Publishers,
* ''Earthly Tones'' (2002), Fiction House
* ''The Eye of a Doe and Other Stories'' (2003),
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 ...
* ''Melting Moments'' (2004), Unistar
* ''Tale of a Cursed Tree'' (2004), Ravi Sahitya Prakashan
* ''The Survivors'' (2005), Katha
* ''Slice of Life'' (2005), Unistar
* ''Shivoham'' (2007),
Rupa Publications
Rupa Publications is an Indian publishing company based in New Delhi, with sales centres in Kolkata, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kathmandu.
Genesis
Rupa Publications was founded in 1936 by D. Mehra and R. K. Me ...
,
* ''Gurdial Singh - A Reader'' (2012),
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 ...
,
* ''Alms in the Name of a Blind Horse'',
Rupa Publications
Rupa Publications is an Indian publishing company based in New Delhi, with sales centres in Kolkata, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kathmandu.
Genesis
Rupa Publications was founded in 1936 by D. Mehra and R. K. Me ...
,
See also
*
Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award
*
Indian poetry
Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, ...
*
''Indian Literature''
References
External links
Rana Nayar on Gurdial Singh - Article in ''Indian Express''Professor Rana Nayar on Work-life Balancing - Article in Closeloop Insights
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nayar, Rana
20th-century Indian translators
Living people
1957 births
Punjabi-language writers
Translators from Punjabi
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award