Jayanta Mahapatra

Jayanta Mahapatra Biography

Jayanta Mahapatra is a noted Indian poet who writes in English. His first poetry collection, ‘Close the Sky Ten’ was published in the year 1971. Svayamvara and Other Poems, A Whiteness of Bone, A Father's Hours, Waiting, A Rain of Rites, Relationship, The False Start, Burden of Waves & Fruit, Bare face, Shadow Space, Samparka, Temple, Life Signs, Dispossessed Nests, Random Descent, Land, The Lie of Dawns: Poems, The Best of Jayanta Mahapatra and Selected poems are his published poetry works. The Green Gardener – is his English short story collection. Door of Paper: Essay and Memoirs is another non-fiction work in English. He has also published and edited a few works in Oriya language. Throughout his career he has received many Indian honours as well as many international awards.

He was born in Orissa in 1928. He is one of the popular Indian poets of his generation and a member of poet-trios who laid the foundations of Indian English Poetry. A. K. Ramanujan, a scholar of Indian literature was his close associative. Apart from being a gifted writer, he has also worked as a Physics professor in several Indian universities of Oriya. He taught at Gangadhar Meher College, Sambalpur, B.J.B College, Bhubaneswar, Fakir Mohan College, Balasore and Ravenshaw College, Cuttack.

Till now, he has published 27 books of which 20 belong to English while the rest to Oriya language. His poetry works in Oriya language include – Chali, Bali, Baya Raja, Jadiba Gapatie, Smruti Pari Kichhiti, Kahibe Gotiye Katha and Tikie Chhayee. He was awarded Honorary Degree by Utkal University, Bhubaneswar in 2006. In 2009, he received Padma Shree Award and in 2010 - SAARC Literary Award.

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Updated: February 28, 2014