Jayanta Mahapatra

Poet

Indian Cuttack, Odisha

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Quick Info

ProfessionPoet
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth22/10/1928
Age94 years (died on 27, Aug, 2023)
BirthplaceCuttack, Odisha
Date of Death27/08/2023

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Physical Stats & More

Eye ColorBlack
Hair Colorwhite

Personal Life

Place of DeathSCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha
Age (at the time of death)94 Years
Death Causepneumonia
Zodiac signLibra
ReligionChristianity

Relationships & More

Marital Status (at the time of death)Widower

Family

FatherLemuel Mohapatra
MotherSudhansubala Dash
SpouseJyotsana Mahapathra (Runu) (Passed away in 2000s)
Children-Mohan Mahapatra (passed away in 2018)

Career

Last Published work‘Jhanji- the Sunstroke’ (Odhiya Poetry Book) (released on 1 January 2023)
Awards
  • In 1981, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry book "Relationships."
  • In 2009, he won Padma Shree for his contribution to literature.
  • In 2017, he won the Kanhaiya Lal Sethia Award for Poetry at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
  • In 2013, he won the RL Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award for Poetry in Hyderabad.
  • In 1975, he won the Jacob Glatstein Memorial Award for Poetry in Chicago.
  • In 1970, he won a Second Prize at the International Who's Who in Poetry in London.
  • In 1976, he received the Visiting Writer Award at the International Writing Program in Iowa City.
  • In 1978, he received the Cultural Award for Visitor in Australia.
  • In 1980, the Japan Foundation honoured him with a Visitor's Award in Japan.
  • In 2009, he received the SAARC Literary Award in New Delhi.
First English poetry collectionSvayamvara and Other Poems (1971)

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Jayanta Mahapatra (1928-2023) was an Indian English poet.
2. He was the first Indian poet to receive the Sahitya Akademi award for his English poetry.
3. Considered one of the pioneers of Indian English poetry, along with A. K. Ramanujan and R. Parthasarathy.
4. Mahapatra passed away in August 2023.
5. His childhood was challenging due to an inattentive father and strict mother.
6. Twice as a teenager, he ran away from home, facing obstacles each time.
7. Born into an Odian Christian lower middle-class family among Hindus.
8. Bullied in school for his religion, which he documented in diaries later destroyed by his mother.
9. Attended Stewart School and pursued Physics for higher education.
10. Started his teaching career after completing his master's degree in Physics.
11. Spent two years as a visiting writer at the University of Iowa.
12. Traveled to several countries during his teaching career.
13. Struggled to get his poems published until they gained recognition in international journals.
14. Retired in 1986 from his teaching job and from government service.
15. Besides poetry, he also delved into prose, publishing collections like Green Gardener and Door of Paper.
16. Became the editor of Chandrabhaga in 2000 and led the magazine for over 20 years.
17. Organized the annual Chandrabhaga literary festival.
18. Taught Physics as a professor at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack.
19. Started writing poetry around the age of 40.
20. Authored 27 collections of poetry, with 20 in English and 7 in Odia.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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