Vishnuprasad Trivedi

Vishnuprasad Trivedi Biography

Vishnuprasad Trivedi was a well-known Gujarati writer and literary critic who lived during the period, 4 July 1899 – 10 November 1991. He was the first recipient of Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar, when it was announced in 1983. He also received honours such as Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak (1944), Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (1945) and Sahitya Akademi Award (1962). Parishilan (1949) and Upayana (1961) are his notable works. He was given an honorary doctorate by South Gujarat University in the year 1971. He used pen name ‘Prerit’ to author books. His work Upayana (1961) earned him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1962.

Vishnuprasad Ranchhodlal Trivedi was born on 4 July 1899 in Umreth, Gujarat. His schooling was done at various places such as Borsad, Thasra, Kapadvanj and Nadiad, and he completed his graduation from Gujarat College, Ahmedabad. Well known Gujarati scholar and writer Anandshankar Dhruv taught him at this college. He specialized in Sanskrit and Gujarati during his master studies.

Got inspired by western literature and critics such as Coleridge and Matthew Arnold, he followed their writing and observing skills. He was also attracted towards the writing style of Indian Gujarati writers like Govardhanram Tripathi and Anandshankar Dhruv. As a writer, he mostly worked on non-fictional critic works. He also authored several essays. Vivechana, his first collection of criticism was published in 1939. In 1974 he received a fellowship from Sahitya Akademi. He passed away on 10 November 1991.

Some of his major works include – Sarasvatichandra, Snehamudra, Govardhanram: Chintak ane Sarjak, Drumaparna, Aascharyavat, Gujarati Vangmayni Sameeksha, Parishilan, Akhegita, Upayan, Sahitya Sansparsha etc. His lectures on Govardhanram Tripathi at Gujarat University in the year 1960 were later collected, compiled and published titled - Govardhanram: Chintak ane Sarjak.

Published: January 07, 2019

Updated: January 07, 2019