Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak
Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak (1 August 1921 – 1 July 1966) was an Indian poet, novelist and short story writer.
Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 August 1921 |
| Died | 30 June 1966 (aged 44) |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, short story writer |
Early life
Tilak was born on 21 August 1921 in the village of Mandapaka in the Tanuku Taluk district. He died on 1 July 1966 at the age of 44 years.
He completed his Intermediate at AVN College Visakhapatnam and joined Loyola College, Chennai (then Madras), but had to cease his studies due to health issues. He established the Vigjnana Parishad in Tanuku (later renamed Sahiti Sarovaram) and pursued literary activities.
Tilak wrote his first story at the age of 11, which is said to have been published in the Madhuri Magazine. At the age of 16, he started writing poetry and developed his unique writing style.
His most famous work, Amrutham Kurisina Ratri, was translated into English as The Night the Nectar Rained by Velchala Kondal Rao. The Night of Nectar was translated by B Indira.[1]
Career
His first anthology, Prabhatamu-Sandhya (1945), was written in the romantic style popular in Indian poetry of the early and mid-20th century. He changed his style after attending the 'All India Progressive Writers' Conference in Bombay.[2] His anthology of Poems ( Padya kavitalu) "Goruvankalu" was published by Visalandhra Publishing house.
Literary contributions and recognition
He was awarded the "Sahitya Academy award" in 1970[3] for his posthumously published collection of poems Amrutham Kurisina Ratri.[2] published in 1969[4] The volume was called a "milestone in modern Telugu" by Sisir Kumar Das, who added, "But for him, 'verse libre' or 'prose poetry' could not have gained so much of popularity."[2]
His short stories include "Sundari-SubbaRavu", "Vuri Chivara Illu" and "Tilak Kadhalu". His stories were influenced by Maxim Gorky and Rabindranath Tagore.[2]
References
- "Devouring the sweet nectar of poetry". The New Indian Express.
- Das, Sisir Kumar (1991). History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9.
- Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, C. Vijayasree. "Gold Nuggets: Selected Post-independence Telugu Short Stories". Google Books. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- Microsoft Word - feb_2008_anaganagaOmanchikatha.doc
Sources
- "Anaganaga Omanchikatha" (PDF). February 2008.
