Shantinath Desai
| Dr. Shantinath Desai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
22 July 1929 Haliyal, Karnataka, India |
| Died | 26 March 1998 (aged 69) |
| Occupation | Writer, professor |
| Language | Kannada |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Literary movement | Navya |
| Notable awards | Sahitya Akademi Award 1999 |
Shantinath Desai (1929–1998) was one of the leading modern authors of the Navya (modernist) movement in Kannada. He became active shortly after India achieved independence from the United Kingdom.[1][2][3][4]
In most of his novels, short stories, and essays, Desai explores the challenges of a changing society and its drift from traditional values. His first novel, Mukti (1961), narrates the protagonist's quest for an independent identity, liberation from the influence of a friend and his infatuation with the friend's sister. The second novel, Vikshepa (1971), tells the story of a village youth from northern Karnataka, who attempts to flee from his traditional environment by studying English in Bombay and later relocating to England. He was one of the best known writers in the genre of short stories in Kannada literature, which includes other prominent writers like U. R. Anantha Murthy, Yashwant Chittal, P. Lankesh, Ramachandra Sharma, Rajalakshmi Rao, and K. Sadashiva.
His novel Om Namo ("Obeisance") won the Sahitya Akademi Award. Desai's important works include Mukti (Liberation) and Beeja(The Seed).
Shantinath Desai was also a professor of English at Shivaji University in Kolhapur, and later became the first vice chancellor of the then newly founded Kuvempu University in Shimoga.[5] He has written seven novels and eight short story collections of which Rakshasa (1975) received the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. His novels and stories have been frequently translated into various regional languages. He also published a book of critical works in English.
Collections of his writings
He published eight collections of short stories:
- Manjugadde (1959),
- Kshitija (1966),
- Dande (1971),
- Ayda Kategalu (1977),
- Rakshasa (1977),
- Parivartane (1984),
- Kurmavatara (1988),
- Samagra Kategalu (2001);
He also wrote seven novels:
- Mukti (1961),
- Vikshepa (1971),
- Srishti (1979),
- Sambandha (1982),
- Antarala (1983),
- Bija (1993),
- Om Namo which won the Sahitya Akademi Award posthumously in 1999.
Though Desai is remembered chiefly for his first novel Mukti, which started the vogue of the Modernist novel in Modern Kannada literature, his finest work in fiction is undoubtedly his last novel Om Namo which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999.[6]
Awards
He was the recipient of several awards including :
- Karnataka State Award for his short story collection "Rakshasa" [7]
- Sahitya Akademi Award [8]
- The Ideal Teacher award instated by the Government of Maharashtra.[9]