Ram Vilas Sharma
Ram Vilas Sharma (10 October 1912 – 30 May 2000) was an eminent progressive literary critic, linguist, poet and thinker.[1] He was born in Unchgaon Sani, Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh.[1]
Ram Vilas Sharma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 October 1912 Unchagaon Sani, Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh |
| Died | 30 May 2000 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Writer |
He came into the limelight as a critic in 1939 with his scholarly paper on Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', presented at a session of Hindi Sahitya Sammelan.[1] Ram Vilas Sharma was undisputedly among the most powerful noted poets of the progressive period.[2]
Early life
Sharma was born on 10 October 1912 at Unchagaon Sani of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh.[3] He received his early education in his native village and at Jhansi.[1] For higher studies he went to Lucknow and did his M.A. and PhD. in English Literature.[1]
Career
He started his career as a lecturer at Lucknow University, and then moved to Balwant Rajput College, Agra, as head of the English department.[1] He retired finally as Director of KM Hindi Institute, Agra.[1] Basically a critic, he gave new dimension to biographical-historical criticism, and analysed linguistic and literary issues from a Marxist viewpoint.[1]
Sharma died on 30 May 2000.[3]
Works
His study of Nirala's Ram ki shakti puja, Tulsidas, Saroj-smriti and parimal is a model of creative criticism.[1] He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1970 for his Nirala ki Sahitya Sadhana (in 3 parts).[1] His massive work Bharat ke Pracheen bhasha parivar aur Hindi won him the first Vyas Samman (1991) instituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation.[1] He was Socialist both in thought and deed.[4]
Among the Hindi writers those who impressed him most, besides Nirala the poet, are Acharya Shukla the critic, Bhartendu the pioneer and Premchand the novelist.[1] He took them up for detailed study and wrote authentic literary criticism on them, though from the progressive angle.[1] He analysed their personality and brought out their contribution to Hindi literature.[1] According to him Bhartendu Harishchandra, Premchand and Nirala are outstanding not only as litterateurs but also as men endowed with magnanimity of soul.[1]
Assessment of Acharya Shukla
In his assessment of Acharya Shukla (Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi Alochana) eminent critic Dr. Sharma emphasises the fact that the great writer opposed feudal and courtly literature as it did not give a true picture of the life of the common people and contemporary society.[1]
List of works
- Bharatiya Sahitya ki Bhumika
- Nirala ki Sahitya Sadhana (3 volumes)
- Premchand aur unka yug
- Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi alochna
- Bhartendu Harishchandra aur Hindi navjagaran ki samasyayen
- Bhartendu Yug aur Hindi bhasha ki vikas parampara
- Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi aur Hindi navjagaran
- Nai kavita aur astitvavad
- Bharat ki bhasha samasya
- Astha aur saundarya
- Bhasha aur samaj
- Parampara ka mulyankan
- Bharat mein angrazi raj aur marxvad (2 volumes)
- Marx aur pichde huye samaj
- Ghar ki baat
- Bharat ke Pracheen bhasha parivar aur Hindi (3 volumes)
- Dhool
- aitihasik bhashavigyan aur hindi
References
- Lal, Mohan (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. p. 820. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
- Das, Sisir Kumar (1995). A History of Indian literature. Sahitya Akademi. p. 908. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9.
- Saha, Ranjit Kumar (September–October 2000). "Ram Vilas Sharma (1912—2000)". Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. 44 (5): 158. JSTOR 23343450.
- George (ed.), K.M. (1992). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-7201-324-0.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
