>Citation bot at 11:22, 17 March 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
[[File:Doutrina Christam (book of Stephens, 1622).jpg|thumb|Cover of ''Dovtrina Christam'' by [[Thomas Stephens (missionary)|Fr. Thomas Stephens]], first published work in Konkani, and any Indian language]]
{{Indian literature}}

'''Konkani literature''' is literature in the [[Konkani language]], mostly produced in three scripts: [[Konkani in the Roman script|Roman]], [[Devanagari]] and [[Kannada script|Kannada]]. Konkani literature is eligible for the [[List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Konkani|Sahitya Akademi Award]]

==History==

While the earliest inscriptions in Konkani date from around the end of the first millennium, the first writer in the history of Konkani language known to us today is Shamaraja; who was also known as [[Krishnadas Shama]] as he was an ardent devotee of Lord [[Krishna]]. He was born in the 15th century AD in the village of [[Quelossim]] in Goa. As per the date mentioned in his ''Shrikrishnacharitrakatha'', he began writing his book on 13th of the [[Vaishakha]] month of the Hindu lunar calendar, which is 25 April 1526, according to the [[Gregorian calendar]]. He authored ''Ramayana'', ''Mahabharata'', and ''Krishnacharitrakatha'' in [[prose]] style. The manuscripts have not been found, although transliterations in Roman script are found in [[Braga]] in Portugal. The script used by him for his work still remains a mystery.<ref name="sama">{{cite book|last=Bhembre|first=Uday|title=Konkani bhashetalo paylo sahityakar: Krishnadas Shama|date=September 2009|publisher=Sunaparant Goa|pages=55–57}}</ref>

According to the orders of the [[Goa Inquisition]], which commenced in 1560, it was an offence to remain in possession of books in local languages. All books, whatever their subject matter, written in Konkani, Marathi, or Sanskrit, were seized by the inquisition and burnt on the suspicion that they might deal with idolatry. It is probable that valuable non-religious literature dealing with art, literature, and sciences were destroyed indiscriminately as a consequence. For instance, even before the inquisition orders, in a letter dated 24 November 1548, Fr. Joao de Albuquerque proudly reports his achievement in this direction.<ref name="onqui">{{cite book|last= Saradesāya|first=Manohararāya|title=A history of Konkani literature: from 1500 to 1992|year= 2000|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-7201-664-7|page=317}}</ref>

Vishnudas Nama who also used pen names like Vaishampayana and Parameshvaraco Sharanagat Nama, authored ''Bhishmaparva'' and ''Adiparva'', transliterations of which are found in the public library of Braga in northern Portugal.<ref name="others">{{cite book|last=Gomes|first=Olivinho|title=Medieval Indian literature: an anthology, Volume 3 Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology, K. Ayyappapanicker|year=1997|publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-260-0365-5|pages=256–290}}</ref> Another copy of ''Ramayana'' does not bear any author's name, although the name of a certain "Sadashiva" has been mentioned.<ref name=others />

The [[Jesuits]] established the [[printing in Goa|first printing press in Asia]] in Goa in 1556.<ref>[[Anant Priolkar|A.K. Priolkar]], ''The Printing Press in India: Its Beginnings and Early Development being a quatercentenary commemoration study of the advent of printing in India in 1556'', (Bombay: Marathi Samshodhana Mandala, 1958).</ref> The first known printed book in Konkani was written by an English [[Jesuit]] priest, [[Thomas Stephens (missionary)|Fr. Thomas Stephens]] in 1622, and entitled ''[[Doutrina Christam em Lingoa Bramana Canarim]]'' (Old Portuguese for: ''Christian Doctrine in the Canarese Brahman Language''). The first book exclusively on Konkani grammar, ''[[Arte da Lingoa Canarim]]'', was printed in 1640 by Father Stephens in Portuguese.<ref name="manohar">{{cite book | title=A history of Konkani literature: from 1500 to 1992 | author=Saradesāya, Manohararāya | year=2000 | publisher=Sahitya Akademi | location=New Delhi | pages=1–3 | isbn=978-81-7201-664-7}}</ref> Similarly, a book named ''A Konkani Grammar'', was printed in the year 1882 in [[Mangalore]] by [[Angelo Francesco Saverio Maffei]], and describes Canara Konkani grammar.<ref name="gram1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZv6UyynBPgC&q=konkani+grammar|title=A Konkani grammar |last=Maffei|first=Angelus Francis Xavier |year=2003 |isbn=9788120600874 |language=English, Konkani|access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref>

The late nineteenth century saw the emergence of Konkani as a modern literary language, particularly through the pioneering work of [[Goan literature|the Goan writers]] [[Shenoi Goembab]] (1877–1946) and later [[Ravindra Kelekar]] (1925–2010), who wrote some of the twentieth century's foremost Konkani literature.<ref>Kiran Budkuley, 'Modern Konkani Classics', ''Muse India'', 64 (November–December 2015), http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=50&id=4272 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190536/http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=50&id=4272 |date=4 March 2016 }}.</ref> Alongside these writers, a wave of pulp fiction began around the 1930s, with writers including [[Caridade Damaciano Fernandes]], [[Reginald Fernandes]], and [[Eliot Ely]].<ref>ManoharRai SarDessai, ''A History of Konkani Literature: From 1500 to 1992'' (New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 2000), pp. 227-28.</ref> The first Konkani novel to be translated into English was the 1977 ''[[Acchev]]'' by [[Pundalik Naik]] (1952–).

==See also==
* [[Goan literature]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian literature by language]]
[[Category:Konkani]]

Konkani literature - Revision history

>Citation bot at 11:22, 17 March 2021