Snehaprava Das (born 10 October 1955) is an Indian writer and translator in the

Odia language Odia (, ISO: , ; formerly rendered Oriya ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha (formerly rendered Orissa), where native speakers make up 82% of the population, and it is also ...

. She is a pioneer translator of several classic works from the Odia language into English. She has also translated several world classics into the Odia language. Her English translations rank among the top translated works from the Odia language.

Biography

Snehaprava obtained her Master's degree in English literature and doctorate in Translation Studies and Comparative Literature from Utkal University. As an associate professor she has taught English literature at several institutions of higher learning. She also served as Principal of

Binayak Acharya College Binayak Acharya College is a college near Haradakhandi, in Berhampur, Odisha, India, affiliated to Berhampur University. It was founded in 1978 as an extension wing for Khallikote College, Brahmapur. It became an independent wing during the 198 ...

Berhampur Brahmapur (; also known as Berhampur) is a city on the eastern coastline of Ganjam district of the Indian state of Odisha. Bramhapur is most famous for its street food, silk sarees or pato sarees, temples and many historical places. Bramhapur al ...

Works

Snehaprava has translated “Padmamali” by Umesh Chandra Sarkar, the first novel in Odiya, into English, besides several novels by Fakir Mohan Senapati. Her other works include ‘The World Within’, an English translation of Odia novel “Mane Mane “ by Baishnaba Charan Das and “Bibasini, A Historical Romance” by Ramsankar Ray. She also translated world classics from English to Oriya, including poems of Elizabeth Jennings and P.B. Shelley, besides short stories by

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultu ...

and Oscar Wilde. She has translated several poetry and story collections and biographies, including the celebrated autobiography "Bandira Atmakatha" by

Gopabandhu Das Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928), popularly known as ''Utkalamani'' (''Jewel of Utkal'' or Odisha), was a social worker, reformer, political activist, journalist, poet and essayist. Early life Gopabandhu Das was born on 9 October 1877 in Suando ...

.. She is also a poet herself. Her works in Odia have been published in ''Prativeshi'', ''Kahani'', ''Anupam Bharat'' and other magazines, whereas her English translations have been published in Indian Literature, ''The Orissa Review'', ''The Little Magazine'', ''Rock Pebbles'' etc. Her translation of "Colours of Loneliness" by Paramita Satpathy is critically acclaimed. Her most discussed work of translation is "One Thousand Years in a Refrigerator". According to her, translation is a strategy to subvert hierarchies and check all forms of dominations, and also a tool for liberating human consciousness.

Awards and recognition

* 2022 :- Jibanananda Das Award

Bibliography

Translation from Odia into English

* The Penance (Original Odia ''Prayaschitta'' by Fakir Mohan Senapati) * The World Within (Original Odia ''Mane Mane'' by Baishnab Charan Das) * Colours of Loneliness (original Odia by Paramita Satpathy) * One Thousand Days in a Refrigerator (from Manoj Kumar Panda) * A Boundless Moment (original by Paramita Satpathy) * Gopabandhu Das : The Prisoner's Autobiography

Poetry by Snehaprava Das

* Songs of Solitude * Dusk Diary * Alone * Moods and Moments * Never Say No to a Rose * Colours of Loneliness and Other Stories (from poems of Paramita Satpathy)

References

1955 births Odia-language writers Living people Writers from Odisha Indian women poets Indian translators 20th-century Indian women writers {{India-translator-stub