A. N. Swamy Venkatadri Iyer (13 January 1898 – 14 February 1939), known by his pen name as Samsa, was an early 20th century's Indian historical playwright in

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

. His plays ''Suguna Gambhira'', ''Vigada Vikramaraya'' and ''Bettada Arasu'' have been made into stage dramas and prescribed as textbooks in various universities in Karnataka. He was called as ''Shakespeare of Kannada Drama''. An open air theatre in the premises of government owned

Ravindra Kalakshetra Ravindra Kalakshetra is a cultural centre in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances. Located in heart of Bangalore city, it was built to commemorate the birth centenary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Many ...

, is named after Samsa.

Personal life

Samsa was born as Venkatadri Iyer to Narasimha Pandita and Gowramma in Agara,

Yelandur Yalandur is a taluk and town in Chamarajanagar district in southern Karnataka, India. It has historic and cultural importance in this region. Along with three other taluks, it was officially included into Chamarajanagar district when the distric ...

in erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore. He worked in various schools and offices as teacher and clerk across Mysore, Hassan, Mumbai and other places. He was known for his eccentric behavior. He remained unmarried and led a secluded life. He suffered from Persecution Complex and used to wander from one place to another.

As writer

It's said that Samsa had written more than 23 dramas out of which only 6 are available. He is regarded as the first historical playwright in modern Kannada literature. His plays were based on the administration and history of Mysore kings in the Kingdom of Mysore. The language he used in dramas was Halegannada ().

Plays

* ''Suguna Gambhira'' * ''Birudanthembara Ganda'' * ''Vigada Vikramaraya'' * ''Bettada Arasu'' * ''Vijayanarasimha'' * ''Manthrashakti''

Novels

* ''Koushala'' * ''Sherlock Homes in Jail''

Poems

* ''Shreemanthodyana Varnanam'' * ''Samsapadam'' * ''Eeshaprakopana'' * ''Naraka Duryodhaneeyam'' * ''Acchumba''

Death

Samsa committed suicide on 14 February 1939 in a small room of Sadvidya School,

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

where he spent last years of his life. He left a suicide note:

Books on Samsa

Many writers have tried bringing things out from Samsa's secluded life. Notable works on him are: * "''Samsa Kavi''" (Biography) – G. P. Rajarathnam * "''Samsa Smarane: Jeevana Chithrana''" – Aa. Na. Subramanyam * "''Neegikonda Samsa''" (play) – Ki. Ram. Nagaraj * "''Samsa''" (novel) – Prof. Maleyur Guruswamy

References

{{Reflist Writers in British India Kannada poets 1898 births 1939 deaths 20th-century Indian writers Kannada people 1939 suicides Suicides in India