 cover page (Nov. Dec. 2008 issue) | |
| Subject | Literature |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Edited by | Antara Dev Sen |
| Publication details | |
| Publisher | |
| Frequency | bi-monthly |
| Standard abbreviations | |
| ISO 4 | Indian Lit. |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0019-5804 |
| JSTOR | indilite |
| OCLC no. | 1716981 |
| Links | |
Indian Literature is an English language literary journal published bi-monthly by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. It was first launched in 1957, and is currently edited by British-Indian journalist Antara Dev Sen.
The Sahitya Akademi first launched Indian Literature in 1957 as an annual publication in English. [1] In an editorial note published in the first issue, in October 1957, the editors noted that since the inception of the Sahitya Akademi in March 1954, there had been demands at every General Council meeting that a journal should be established to disseminate information about literary developments in India. [2] The purpose of Indian Literature, therefore, was initially established as a platform to help Indian writers and readers to become better acquainted with new literary works, particularly in translating and making accessible works of Indian literature. The editorial note also recorded that Indian Literature would document the work of the Sahitya Akademi. [1] At the time of its launch, an annual subscription to Indian Literature cost Rs. 2.5. [3]
The first editorial board of the journal consisted of three members; S. Radhakrishnan, the first vice-president of India, politician and author, Humayun Kabir, and K.R. Kripalani, with the latter acting as the editor. [3] From 1965 onwards, in addition to the editorial board, the journal had a designated editor, starting with Bengali author and translator, Lokenath Bhattacharya. [4] The current editor of the journal is Antara Dev Sen. Previous editors include A. J. Thomas, K. Satchidanandan, and H.S. Shivaprakash.
Issues of Indian Literature did not initially contain editorials, although from 1973, Keshav Malik began his tenure as editor with a prefatory note to each issue, containing general reflections on the state of Indian literature. [5] In 1974, S. Balu Rao took over as editor from Keshav Malik, and in an editorial note, redefined the scope of Indian Literature, focusing more on translations to and from Indian languages. [6] Editorial notes from S. Balu Rao became a regular feature, introducing the contents of each issue, and all editors since have continued to introduce each issue with an editorial note.
From 1959 Indian Literature was published bi-annually, instead of just annually, and from 1966 onwards, it became a quarterly publication. [7] From 1979 onwards, it has been published on a bi-monthly basis. [8]
The journal completed its 50th year in 2007. On this occasion Sahitya Akademi awarded the Indian Literature Golden Jubilee Translation Awards to the following poets:-
Members of the editorial board of Indian Literature have included K.R. Kripalani, S. Radhakrishnan, Humayun Kabir, Zakir Hussain, Suniti Kumar Chatterji, K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar, Prabhakar Machwe, R.S. Kelkar, Umashankar Joshi, V. K. Gokak, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, Gangadhar Gadgil, Indra Nath Choudhuri, U. R. Ananthamurthy, Ramakanth Rath, Gopi Chand Narang, and Sunil Gangopadhyay. Apart from the editorial board, the journal has also had editors, listed below.
| Editor | Volumes and Issues | Date |
|---|---|---|
| K.R. Kripalani | Vol. 1(1) to Vol. 8(1) | 1957 to 1965 |
| Lokenath Bhattacharya | Vol 8(1) to 15(3) | 1965 to 1972 |
| Keshav Malik | Volume 15(4) - 27(2) | 1972 - 1984 |
| S. Balu Rao | Volume 27(3) - 31(2) | 1984 - 1988 |
| S. P. Jain (Honorary Editor) | Volume 31(3) | 1988 |
| D. S. Rao | Volume 31(4) - 34(5) | 1988 - 1991 |
| J. M. Mohanty | Volume 34(6) - Volume 35(3) | 1991 - 1992 |
| K. Satchidanandan | Volume 35(4) - 41 | 1992 - 1997 |
| H. S. Shivaprakash | Volume 42(2) - 46(1) | 1998 - 2002 |
| Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee | Volume 46(2) - 51(2) | 2002 - 2007 |
| A. J. Thomas | Volume 51(3) - 52(5) | 2007 - 2008 |
| K. Satchidanandan (Guest Editor) | Volume 52(6) - 54(2) | 2008 - 2010 |
| Subodh Sarkar | Volume 54(3) - 55(3) | 2010 - 2011 |
| A. J. Thomas | Volume 55(4) - 57(1) | 2011 - 2013 |
| Yashodhara Mishra | Volume 57(2) - 59(3) | 2013 - 2015 |
| Subodh Sarkar | Volume 59(4) - 60(3) | 2015 - 2016 |
| A. J. Thomas | Volume 60(4) - present | 2016 to present |
In addition to documenting the activities and publications of the Sahitya Akademi, Indian Literature also carries original works and translations of short fiction, poetry, plays, as well as literary criticism and reviews. In addition to Indian languages and literature, the journal periodically carries content about literature from other countries, as well as translations from foreign languages. From 1957 onwards, Indian Literature has featured a regular section titled, "A Review of Current Writing" which consisted of individual reports on new publications in multiple Indian languages. In 1965, this was renamed the "Annual Review of Indian Writing". [4]
Sections such as "Bengali Literature" or "Urdu Literature" note new books, poetry, and reviews published in those languages. [9] [10] Frequent features also included similar sections documenting developments in other forms of literature, such as "Indian Drama and Stage Today", which contained a review of plays in Indian languages. [11] Another regular feature is 'Authors on their Books', featuring commentary and notes by authors on recent publications, particularly those that won Sahitya Akademi Awards. [12] From 1985, Indian Literature introduced an annual feature titled, 'Indian Literature in English': a bibliography of translations from Indian languages as well as critical works on Indian literatures, to be published in the first issue of each year. [13]
From 1959 onwards, Indian Literature also began carrying reviews of books that had won Sahitya Akademi Awards in that year [14] and occasionally also carried profiles of Sahitya Akademi Award winners. [15] The Sahitya Akademi also uses the journal to publicize recent books published by the Akademi, which are often listed in the journal's front and back matter.
Indian Literature has also carried occasional special issues, dedicated to specific authors or themes, including an issue dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore in 1960, [16] an issue dedicated to Shakespeare in India in 1964, [17] an issue dedicated to Aurobindo in 1972; [18] an issue dedicated to the Urdu short story in 1976; [19] an issue dedicated to Oriya literature in 1979, [20] etc.
Indian Literature primarily publishes Indian writers, although it has published works of other writers from other countries, from time to time. The first issue of Indian Literature, for instance, featured an essay by Philip Young on American poetry in the twentieth century, as well as works by Čedomir Minderović and Seijiro Yoshizawa. [9] Notable contributors include:
Abdul Ahad Dar, popularly known as Abdul Ahad Azad, was a Kashmiri poet, historian and literary critic. Born in the Rangar village of Chadoora in Budgam district, Azad is considered to be the first revolutionary poet and is credited with laying the foundations of literary criticism in Kashmiri literature.
Amin Kamil (1924–2014) was a Kashmiri poet, literary critic, researcher and editor. He is also known for his short stories, a genre of which he was one of the pioneers in Kashmiri. He remains one of the most popular and influential masters of the Kashmiri language, leaving behind a legacy of literary brilliance.
Umashankar Jethalal Joshi was an Indian poet, scholar and writer known for his contributions to Gujarati literature. He wrote most of his works in Gujarati.
Karimpumannil Mathai George (1914–2002), popularly known as Dr. K. M. George, was an eminent Malayalam writer and educator. An erudite scholar and literary critic with astute organisational capabilities, he is best known as a pioneer of Comparative Indian Studies and Literatures. He was a recipient of the fourth highest Indian civilian honour, the Padma Shri, the highest literary award of the Government of Kerala, the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram and the third highest Indian civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, besides other honours.
Karoor Neelakanta Pillai was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and one of the founders of Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society. Some of his works such as Poovan Pazham and Marappavakal are counted by many among the best short stories in Malayalam. He was a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 1960, which he received for his work Anakkaran, and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1969, which he received for his short story Mothiram.
Meitei literature, also known as Manipuri literature, is literature written in the Meitei language of Manipur. An ancient institution of learning, the Luwang Nonghumsang, later known as the Pandit Loishang, collected sources of indigenous Meitei knowledge and philosophy until the 18th century. Writing by Meiteis is assumed to go back to the Kingdom of Kangleipak in the early 12th century. The Meitei script is a Brahmic abugida. It is known only from the Puya manuscripts discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Manuscripts of the 18th and 19th centuries were written using the Bengali alphabet. The existence of the Meitei script in the 15th-century hinges on the authenticity of an inscription dated to the reign of Senbi Kiyamba. The first printed Manipuri book, Manipurer Itihas, appeared in 1890 from the Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta. Though the kings of Manipur had established contact with the British from the middle of the eighteenth century onward the real impact of the contact came much later. Johnstone Middle English School, based on the western system of education, was started in 1885 at Imphal, and in 1891 Manipur lost its independence to the British. British domination facilitated the introduction of new systems in the civil, political and educational spheres, which hastened the process of modernization in Manipur, exposed as it was to new ideas and influences.
Sukhlal Sanghvi, also known as Pandit Sukhlalji, was a Jain scholar and philosopher. He belonged to the Sthanakvasi sect of Jainism. Pandit Sukhlal lost his eyesight at the age of sixteen on account of smallpox. However, he persisted and became profoundly versed in Jain logic and rose to become a professor at Banaras Hindu University. Paul Dundas calls him one of the most incisive modern interpreters of Jain philosophy. Dundas notes that Sanghavi represents what now seems to be a virtually lost scholarly and intellectual world. He was a mentor for famous Jain scholar Padmanabh Jaini. During his lifetime he won such awards as the Sahitya Akademi Award and won recognition from the Government of India by getting Padma Bhushan award. Sukhlalji was also known as Pragnachaksu because he was so vastly learned despite being visually disabled.
Saurabh Kumar Chaliha is the pen name of a famous Assamese short story writer. His real name was Surendra Nath Medhi. His short story collection Ghulam won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974. Chaliha did not go to receive the award himself and it was later sent to him by the Akademi.
Vivekodayam is a Malayalam literary journal established in 1904 to serve as a voice of the underprivileged communities in the Indian state of Kerala. It was founded by Kumaran Asan, a prominent poet of malayalam literature, social reformer, disciple of Narayana Guru and founder-secretary of the associated SNDP Yogam, who was inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
Madhur Kapila was an Indian novelist, journalist, art critic and a reviewer of Hindi literature.
Bholabhai Patel was an Indian Gujarati author. He taught numerous languages at Gujarat University and did comparative studies of literature in different languages. He translated extensively and wrote essays and travelogues. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2008.
Manisha Joshi is a Gujarati language poet and journalist. She is an author of four poetry collections including Kandara (1996), Kansara Bazar (2001), Kandmool (2013), and Thaak (2020). She currently lives in California.
Yayati is a 1959 Marathi-language historical novel by Indian writer V. S. Khandekar. One of Khandekar's best-known works, it retells the story of the historical Hindu king, Yayati, from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata. The novel has multiple narrators, and poses several questions on the nature of morality. Scholars have analysed its hero, Yayati, as a representation of modern man. Accepted as classic of Marathi literature, Yayati has won several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960 and the Jnanapith Award in 1974.
Chandrakant Devtale (1936—2017) was an Indian poet, and a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Nanda Kumar Deb Barma is a Tipra playwright, poet, and lyricist from Tripura. He is known for literature in Kokborok language and Kokborok Drama. Nanda Kumar Deb Barma is author of novels such as Rung (2001), and compilations of works such as Thungnuk Bwchap (2015). He has been one of the active advocates for Kokborok development of literature and education and is the president of Kokborok Sahitya Sabha.
Gurbax Singh Frank was a Punjabi scholar and translator. In 2011, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize for his book, 'Bharat Nikki Kahani', an anthology of short stories of various Indian languages.
Gautam Sharma "Vyathit", is a folklorist, playwright, and poet from Himachal Pradesh, India. He is also known as Gautam Chand Sharma "Vyathit" or just Gautam Vyathit. He is noted for his literary works in Dogri and Hindi, as well as for his various efforts to preserve and nurture the endangered folk arts of Himachal Pradesh, especially those of the Kangra region. Vyathit was the joint recipient of the 2007 Sahitya Akademi Award for his contributions to Himachali languages and literature. 'Vyathit', Gautam Sharma's pen-name in Hindi, means 'pained', or 'distressed'.
Dr. Ather Farouqui is a writer of unparalleled acclaim in Delhi. He is the General Secretary of Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind) and the Secretary of Zakir Hussain Study Circle. Farouqui has been awarded the Sahitya Academy Award for the translation of the play ‘Sons of Babur’ in Urdu. He has also been conferred with the ‘Best Translator’ award in 2016 by Delhi Urdu Academy.
Kesri Singh Mundiyar, also known as Kesri Singh Roopawas, was an Indian author and politician. He was associated with Swatantra Party and later Bharatiya Janata Party. He represented Pali in Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha from 1962 to 1967. He was a reputed scholar of Dingal, Rajasthani, and English and known for his poetry and translation work.
Asad Zaidi is an Indian poet, editor, translator, publisher, and literary critic. He has been a noted Hindi poet since the early 1980s.
