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{{Short description|Indian poet (1928–2023)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox writer
| name= Jayanta Mahapatra
| image= Jayanta_Mahapatra.JPG
| caption =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|10|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Cuttack]], [[Bihar and Orissa Province]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|08|27|1928|10|22|df=y}}
| death_place = Cuttack, [[Odisha]], India
| occupation = Indian English poet, Teacher of Physics
| parents = Lemuel Mohapatra, Sudhansubala Dash
| spouse =
| notableworks = ''Relationship'' (1980)
| awards = [[Sahitya Akademi]], [[Padma Shri]]
|yearsactive = 1970–2023
| signature = Signature of Jayanta Mahapatra in Odia.png
| signature_alt = Signature of Jayanta Mahapatra in Odia
}}

'''Jayanta Mahapatra''' (22 October 1928 – 27 August 2023) was an Indian poet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sahitya Akademi : Who's Who of Indian Writers|url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/SASearchSystem/sauser/writerinfo.jsp?wrids=499|website=Sahitya Akademi|access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref> He is the first Indian poet to win a [[Sahitya Akademi]] award for English poetry. He was the author of poems such as [[Indian Summer (poem)|"Indian Summer"]] and [[Hunger (poem)|"Hunger"]], which are regarded as classics in modern [[Indian English literature]]. He was awarded a [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian honour in India in 2009,<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/jayanta-mahapatra-returns-padma-shri-protesting-intolerance/story |title = Jayanta Mahapatra returns Padma Shri protesting 'intolerance'|date = 23 November 2015}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> but he returned the award in 2015 to protest against rising intolerance in India.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Noted poet Jayanta Mahapatra returns Padma Shri – The Times of India|url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Noted-poet-Jayanta-Mahapatra-returns-Padma-Shri/articleshow/49883386.cms|website = The Times of India| date=22 November 2015 |access-date = 2015-11-22}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Jayanta Mahapatra was born on 22 October 1928 into a prominent Odia Christian family.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poemhunter.com/jayanta-mahapatra/biography/|title=Jayanta Mahapatra|publisher=Poem hunter|access-date=16 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jayanta Mahapatra : A profile |url=http://www.orissagateway.com/features/Arts_and_Architecture/Art/Literature/Poets/Jayanta_Mohapatra/ |website=orissagateway.com |access-date=9 September 2019 |archive-date=20 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520014453/http://www.orissagateway.com/features/Arts_and_Architecture/Art/Literature/Poets/Jayanta_Mohapatra/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He attended Stewart School in [[Cuttack]], [[Odisha FC|Odisha]]. He completed his M. Sc. in Physics from Patna University, [[Bihar]]. He began his teaching career as a lecturer in physics in 1949 and taught at various government colleges in Odisha including [[Gangadhar Meher University]], [[Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar College|B.J.B College]], [[Fakir Mohan University]] and [[Ravenshaw University]]. In 1986 he retired from his government job as Reader in Physics at Ravenshaw University (then Ravenshaw College).<ref name=im>{{cite web |url=http://www.museindia.com/showauthornew2.asp?id=66 |title=Muse India – Jayanta Mahapatra's Profile |access-date=2007-10-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026205410/http://www.museindia.com/showauthornew2.asp?id=66 |archive-date=26 October 2007 |df=dmy-all }} Web page titled "Jayanta Mahapatra's Profile" at the [[Muse India]] Web site, accessed 16 October 2007</ref>

Mahapatra began his writing career in the late sixties. His short stories and poems were initially rejected by several publishers, until his poems were published in international literary journals. He was invited to participate in the [[International Writing Program]] at Iowa, which brought him international exposure.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-23 |title=The Usawa Newsletter September'23 |url=https://usawa.in/blog/the-usawa-newsletter-september23/ |access-date=2026-03-05 |website=Usawa Literary Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Writing==
Mahapatra was part of a trio of poets who laid the foundations of [[Indian English Poetry]], which included [[A. K. Ramanujan]] and [[R. Parthasarathy]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 March 2017 |title=Poets who took Indian poetry to next level |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/photo-stories/poets-who-took-indian-poetry-to-the-next-level/photostory/57747660.cms |access-date=24 January 2022 |publisher=Times of India}}</ref> He differed from the others in not being a product of Bombay school of poets. Over time, he managed to carve a quiet, tranquil poetic voice of his own, different from those of his contemporaries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Muse India |url=http://www.museindia.com/regularcontent.asp?issid=51&id=4461 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107013948/http://www.museindia.com/regularcontent.asp?issid=51&id=4461 |archive-date=7 November 2016 |access-date=6 November 2016}}</ref>

=== "Hunger" ===
This one of Mahapatra's best-known, most-quoted early poems, widely anthologised in Indian poetry collections.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Perry |first=John Oliver |date=1986 |title=Neither Alien nor Postmodern: Jayanta Mahapatra's Poetry from India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4335754 |journal=The Kenyon Review |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=60 |issn=0163-075X |jstor=4335754}}</ref> It explores the informal [[child sex trade]]. In the poet's own words, "In 'Hunger' I was writing from experience.” <ref>{{cite web |title=Jayanta Mahapatra's Hunger - Poetry Analysis |url=http://rukhaya.com/poetry-analysis-jayanta-mahapatras-hunger/}}</ref> The poem is an expression of the poet's loneliness as a youth, as Mahapatra had a disturbed childhood.

==== Structure and criticism ====
The poem is notable for its direct approach to the taboo topic of a father prostituting his daughter. In the second line, the fisherman asks casually "will you have her?" A wide range of poetic devices are employed to bring out the entrapment of the mind in the flesh.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 May 2013 |title=A Short Summary of "Hunger" - by Sekhar Kumar |url=http://www.shareyouressays.com/118148/short-summary-of-hunger-by-jayanta-mahapatra}}</ref>

This poem was originally a part of the poet's collection, ''A Rain of Rites''.

=== Other writings ===
Mahapatra authored 27 books of poems, of which seven are in [[Odia language|Odia]] and the rest in English. His poetry volumes include ''Relationship'', ''Bare Face,'' and ''Shadow Space''. Besides poetry, he has experimented widely with myriad forms of prose. His published books of prose include ''Green Gardener'', an anthology of short stories, and ''Door of Paper: Essay and Memoirs''. Mahapatra was also a distinguished editor and was involved in the production of the literary magazine ''Chandrabhaga''.<ref>{{cite web |title= Jayanta Mahapatra – Biography |url= https://niralapublications.com/nirala-authors/jayanta-mahapatra/ |website= niralapublications.com |date= 4 January 2011 |publisher= Nirala Publications |access-date= 10 May 2022 |archive-date= 1 August 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230801152554/https://niralapublications.com/nirala-authors/jayanta-mahapatra/ |url-status= dead }}</ref> His poems have appeared in prestigious poetry anthologies like ''[[The Dance of the Peacock|The Dance of the Peacock: An Anthology of English Poetry from India]]'',<ref name="brook">{{cite news|last1=Grove|first1=Richard|title=The Dance of the Peacock:An Anthology of English Poetry from India|url=http://hiddenbrookpress.com/Book-Indo-EnglishPoetry.html|access-date=5 January 2015|issue=current|publisher=Hidden Brook Press, Canada|archive-date=29 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929050126/http://hiddenbrookpress.com/Book-Indo-EnglishPoetry.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> published by Hidden Brook Press, Canada.<ref name="press">{{cite web|last1=Press|first1=Hidden Brook|title=Hidden Brook Press|url=http://hiddenbrookpress.com|publisher=Hidden Brook Press|access-date=5 January 2015}}</ref>

Mahapatra also translated from Odia into English, and some of his translations were published in the bi-monthly literary magazine ''[[Indian Literature (journal)|Indian Literature]]''. Some anthologies of his translations have also been published.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jayanta Mahapatra – Something in me refuses to die |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Tejg57qNEfUBT7jGQV0UbI/Jayanta-Mahapatra--Something-in-me-refuses-to-die.html |website=livemint.com |date=11 January 2013 |access-date=9 September 2019 |archive-date=3 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703092252/https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Tejg57qNEfUBT7jGQV0UbI/Jayanta-Mahapatra--Something-in-me-refuses-to-die.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Death==
Jayanta Mahapatra died of pneumonia on 27 August 2023, at the age of 94.<ref name="eminent">[https://pragativadi.com/eminent-litterateur-jayanta-mahapatra-passes-away-at-95/ Eminent Litterateur Jayanta Mahapatra Passes Away At 95]</ref>

==Awards, recognition and legacy==
In 1981 Jayanta Mahapatra won [[Sahitya Akademi]] award for his poetry book ''Relationships''. He became the first ever writer in English language to win Sahitya Akademi award. He is also a recipient of the [[Jacob Glatstein]] memorial award conferred by [[Poetry (magazine)|''Poetry'' magazine]], [[Chicago]]. He was also awarded the Allen Tate Poetry Prize for 2009 from ''[[The Sewanee Review]]''. He received the [[SAARC Literary Award]], New Delhi, 2009. He has also received Tata Literature Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref>{{cite web |title= Jayanta Mahapatra on Joy of Receiving Awards |url= https://www.firstpost.com/living/jayanta-mahapatra-on-finite-joy-of-receiving-awards-mark-of-a-good-poem-5634241.html |website=firstpost.com |date=9 December 2018 |publisher=First Post |access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref> He was conferred with a [[Padma Shri]] in 2009 and awarded an honorary doctorate by [[Ravenshaw University]] on 2 May 2009. He was also awarded a D. Lit. degree by [[Utkal University]], [[Odisha]], in 2006. In May 2019 he became the first ever Indian English poet to become a Fellow of the [[Sahitya Akademi]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Poet and Sahitya Akademi Award Winner Jayanta Mahapatra |url= https://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/poet-and-sahitya-akademi-award-winner-jayanta-mahapatra-hospitalised-after-testing-positive-for-covid-19-9674231.html |website=firstpost.com |date=1 June 2021 |publisher=First Post |access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref>

*Kanhaiya Lal Sethia Award for Poetry – 2017 (Jaipur Literature Festival)<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 January 2017 |title=Cuttack poet bags Kanhaiya Lal Sethia Award for Poetry |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/jaipur-literature-festival-cuttack-poet-bags-kanhaiya-lal-sethia-award-for-poetry-4486184/}}</ref>
* RL Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award for Poetry, 2013, [[Hyderabad]].
* Second Prize – ''International Who's Who in Poetry'', [[London]], 1970.
* Jacob Glatstein Memorial Award – Poetry, [[Chicago]], 1975.
* Visiting Writer – International Writing Program, [[Iowa City]] 1976–77.
* Cultural Award Visitor, [[Australia]], 1978.
* Japan Foundation – Visitor's Award, [[Japan]], 1980.

== Poetry readings ==

=== Outside India ===
* University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1976
* University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 1976
* University of the South, Sewanee, 1976
* East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
* Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide, 1978
* P.E.N. Centre, Sydney, 1978
* Australian National University, Canberra, 1978
* International Poets Conference, Tokyo, 1980
* Asian Poets Conference, Tokyo, 1984

== Books by Jayanta Mahapatra ==

=== Poetry ===
* 1971: ''Close the Sky Ten by Ten'', Calcutta: Dialogue Publications<ref name="ReferenceA">Bibliography in Land by Jayanta Mahapatra. Authorspress 2013</ref>
* 1971: ''Svayamvara and Other Poems'', Calcutta: [[Writers Workshop (publisher)|Writers Workshop]]<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 1976: ''A Father's Hours'', Delhi: United Writers<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 1976: ''A Rain of Rites'', Georgia: University of Georgia Press<ref name="ReferenceA"/> ({{ISBN |9780820303970}}, {{OL|5212793M}})
* 1979: ''Waiting'', Pune : Samkaleen Prakashan<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 1980: ''The False Start'', Bombay: Clearing House<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 1980: ''Relationship'', New York: Greenfield Review Press<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 2017: ''Collected Poems'', Mumbai: Paperwall Publishing<ref>{{Cite web|title=COLLECTED POEMS – Paperwall|url=https://paperwall.in/best-indian-book-store-online/poetrywala/collected-poems-4/|access-date=2021-09-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 2021: ''Random Descent'', Ketaki Foundation Trust ({{ASIN |B094ZZF9DG}}, {{OL|22844719M}})
* 2022: ''Re-reading Jayanta Mahapatra: Selected Poems'', Black Eagle Books, USA ({{ISBN |9781645602002}})
* 2023: ''NOON : New and Selected Poems'', Ketaki Foundation Trust ({{ASIN |B0C3Y76BHL}})

=== Prose ===
* 1997: ''The Green Gardener'', short stories, Hyderabad: Orient Longman<ref name="ReferenceA"/> ({{OL|331803M}})
* 2006: ''Door of Paper: Essay and Memoires'', New Delhi: Authorspress<ref name="ReferenceA"/> ({{ISBN |9788172733742}}, {{OL|16279020M}})
* 2011: ''Bhor Motira Kanaphula'' (Odia), Bhubaneswar : Paschima Publications<ref name="ReferenceA"/> ({{OL|24840744M}})

=== Poetry in Odia ===
* 1993: ''Bali'' (The Victim), Cutack: Vidyapuri<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 1995: ''Kahibi Goṭie Kathā'' (I'll Tell A Story), Āryya Prakāśana<ref name="ReferenceA"/> ({{OL|638161M}})
* 1997: ''Baya Raja'' (The Mad Emperor), Cuttack: Vidyapuri,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Bidyāpurī ({{OL|505046M}})
* 2004: ''Tikie Chhayee'' (A Little Shadow), Cuttack : Vidyapuri<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 2006: ''Chali'' (Walking), Cuttack: Vidyapuri<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 2008: ''Jadiba Gapatie'' (Even If It's A Story), Cuttack: Friends Publishers<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* 2011: ''Smruti Pari Kichhiti'' (A Small Memory), Cuttack: Bijayini<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

=== Translations into English ===
* 1973: ''Countermeasures: Poems'', Calcutta : Dialogue
* 1976: ''Wings of the Past: Poems'', Calcutta : Rajasree
* 1981: ''Song of Kubja and Other Poems'', New Delhi : Samkaleen
* 1994: ''I Can, But Why Should I Go: Poems'', New Delhi : [[Sahitya Akademi]]
* 1996: ''Verticals of Life: Poems'', New Delhi : [[Sahitya Akademi]]
* 1998: ''Tapaswini: a Poem'', Bhubaneswar : [[Odisha Sahitya Akademi]] ({{OCLC|42716375}})
* 2001: ''Discovery and other Poems'', Kolkata : [[Writers Workshop (publisher)|Writers Workshop]]
* 2003: ''A Time of Rising (Poems)'', New Delhi : Har-Anand Publishers

=== Inclusions in anthologies ===
* ''A New Book of Indian Poems In English'' (2000) ed. by [[Gopi Kottoor]] and published by [[Poetry Chain]] and [[Writers Workshop (publisher)|Writers Workshop]], [[Calcutta]]
* ''Ten Twentieth-Century Indian Poets'' (1976) ed. by [[R. Parthasarathy]] and published by [[Oxford University Press]], [[New Delhi]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ten 20th Century Indian Poets |url=https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/parthasarathy-1976-ten-20th-century.html |website=cse.iitk.ac.in |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref>

==Further reading==
* 2001: Bijay Kumar Das, ''The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra'': 3rd revised and enlarged edition; New Delhi: Atlantic, {{ISBN|81-7156-968-4}}<ref>[https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no20919.htm Vedam's Books from India website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022143028/https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no20919.htm |date=22 October 2006 }}, accessed 16 October 2007.</ref>
* 2006: Jaydeep Sarangi and Gauri Shankar Jha (eds), ''The Indian Imagination of Jayanta Mahapatra'', New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2006, {{ISBN|81-7625-622-6}}, a compilation of critical articles.<ref>[https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no43705.htm Vedam's Books from India website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815201107/http://www.vedamsbooks.com/no43705.htm |date=15 August 2008 }}, accessed 16 October 2007.</ref>
*Jaydeep Sarangi, ''Jayanta Mahapatra Joy of Living and Loving in His Poetry'', Aavishkar Publishers' Distributors, 2012, {{ISBN|8179103749}}. Printed INR: 600.00, hardcover, 162 pp.
* Zinia Mitra, ''Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra Imagery and Experiential Identity'', Authorspress,2012,{{ISBN|978-81-7273-655-2}} Hardcover, INR:500,172pp
*The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra: Themes & Imagery by Vivekanand Jha, New Delhi: Authorspress,2013 {{ISBN|978-8172736736}}<ref name=jayant>{{cite book|last1=Jha|first1=Vivekanand|title=The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra: Themes and Imagery|publisher=Authorspress|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788172736736|pages=434|edition=First}}</ref>
* Shiba Shankar Nath,"The Poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra:A Study in Imagery", Delhi:Authorspress,2014,{{ISBN|978-81-7273-897-6}}.Printed INR: 700.00, hardcover,173 pp.
*''Rock Pebbles'', Vol. XV No.1, January–June 2011(a special issue on Jayanta Mahapatra) {{ISSN|0975-0509}}
*2018: Jayanta Mahapatra: A Reader, Ed. Durga Prasad Panda, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, {{ISBN|978-93-87567-66-5}}

==See also==
{{portal|Biography|India|Poetry|}}
* [http://www.orissagateway.com/features/Arts_and_Architecture/Art/Literature/Poets/Jayanta_Mohapatra/ Biodata of Jayanta Mahapatra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520014453/http://www.orissagateway.com/features/Arts_and_Architecture/Art/Literature/Poets/Jayanta_Mohapatra/ |date=20 May 2007 }}
* [[List of Indian poets]]
* [[Indian English literature|Indian English Literature]]
* [[Sahitya Akademi Award]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090216144242/http://jayantamahapatra.com/ Jayanta Mahapatra's Official Homepage]
* [https://www.thehindu.com/books/interview-with-jayanta-mahapatra-a-doyen-of-indian-english-poetry/article28721741.ece Interview with Jayanta Mahapatra – A doyen of Indian-English poetry] (''The Hindu'', 2019)

{{Odia literature}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}
{{Padma Award winners of Odisha}}
{{Sahitya Akademi Award for English}}
{{SAARC Literary Award}}
{{Gangadhar National Award For Poetry}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahapatra, Jayanta}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Gangadhar National Award]]
[[Category:Poets from Odisha]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:English-language Indian poets]]
[[Category:Odia-language poets]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:International Writing Program alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in India]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Utkal Ratna Samman]]

Jayanta Mahapatra - Revision history

LukasBeg27134 at 10:13, 27 March 2026