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{{Indian literature}}
'''Marathi literature''' is the body of literature of [[Marathi Language|Marathi]], an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language spoken mainly in the Indian state of [[Maharashtra]] and written in the [[Devanagari]] and [[Modi script]].

==History==
=== Ancient Era ===
Maharashtri Prakrit was the southern Prakrit that was spoken in the banks of [[Narmada]] and [[Godavari]]. Maharashtri was an offshoot of [[Vedic Sanskrit]].
The earliest example of [[Maharashtri]] as a separate language dates to approximately 3rd century BCE: a stone inscription found in a cave at Naneghat, Junnar in Pune district had been written in Maharashtri using [[Brahmi script]]. A committee appointed by the Maharashtra State Government to get the Classical status for Marathi has claimed that Marathi existed at least 2300 years ago.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/clamour-grows-for-marathi-to-be-given-classical-language-status/articleshow/63776578.cms|title = Marathi: Clamour grows for Marathi to be given classical language status | Mumbai News - Times of India| website=[[The Times of India]] }}</ref> Marathi, a derivative of Maharashtri, is probably first attested in a 739 CE copper-plate inscription found in Satara. Several inscriptions dated to the second half of the 11th century feature Marathi, which is usually appended to Sanskrit or prakrit in these inscriptions.<ref>The Quotidian Revolution: Vernacularization, Religion, and the Premodern Public Sphere in India. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-231-54241-8}}.</ref>

The earliest Marathi-only inscriptions are the ones issued during the [[Shilahara]] rule, including a c. 1012 CE stone inscription from Akshi taluka of Raigad district, and a 1060 or 1086 CE copper-plate inscription from Dive that records a land grant (agrahara) to a Brahmin.<ref name="Christian Lee Novetzke 2016">Christian Lee Novetzke (2016). The Quotidian Revolution: Vernacularization, Religion, and the Premodern Public Sphere in India. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-231-54241-8}}.</ref> A 2-line 1118 CE Marathi inscription at Shravanabelagola records a grant by the Hoysalas. These inscriptions suggest that Marathi was a standard written language by the 12th century. However, there is no record of any actual literature produced in Marathi until the late 13th century.<ref name="Christian Lee Novetzke 2016"/>

=== Yadava period ===
[[File:Jnandev.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dnyaneshwar]] as imagined by the Ravi Varma press]]
Epigraphic evidence suggests that Marathi was a standard written language by the 12th century. However, the earliest records of actual literature in Marathi appear only in the late 13th century.{{sfn|Christian Lee Novetzke|2016|p=54}} The early Marathi literature emerged during the [[Seuna (Yadava) dynasty|Seuna (Yadava)]] rule, because of which some scholars have theorized that it was produced with support from the Yadava rulers.{{sfn|Christian Lee Novetzke|2016|p=74,86}} The Yadavas did regard Marathi as a significant language for connecting with the general public,{{sfn|Christian Lee Novetzke|2016|p=x}} and Marathi replaced Kannada and Sanskrit as the dominant language of the inscriptions during the last half century of the Yadava rule.{{sfn|Christian Lee Novetzke|2016|p=53}} However, there is no evidence that the Yadava royal court directly supported the production of Marathi literature with state funds.{{sfn|Christian Lee Novetzke|2016|p=74}}

The early Marathi literature was mostly religious and philosophical in nature,<ref name="Nagendra_1988">{{cite book | editor = Nagendra |author1=Kusumavati Deshpande |author2=Sadashiva Shivaram Bhave | title=Indian Literature | year = 1988 | chapter = Marathi | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dqGojPpe8DIC&pg=PA202 | access-date=8 April 2012 | publisher=Prabhat Prakashan | pages=202–}}</ref> and was composed by the saint-poets belonging to [[Mahanubhava]] and [[Warkari]] sects. During the reign of the last three Yadava kings, a great deal of literature in verse and prose, on astrology, medicine, [[Puranas]], [[Vedanta]], kings and courtiers were created. ''Nalopakhyana'', ''Rukminiswayamvara'' and Shripati's ''Jyotisharatnamala'' (1039) are a few examples.

Bhaskarabhatta Borikar of the Mahanubhava sect is the first known poet to have composed hymns in Marathi.<ref name="Datta2006">{{cite book | author=Amaresh Datta | title=The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti) | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&pg=PA1624 | access-date=8 April 2012 |year=2006 | publisher=Sahitya Akademi | isbn=978-81-260-1194-0 | page=1624}}</ref>

[[Dnyaneshwar]] (1275–1296) was the first Marathi literary figure who had wide readership and profound influence.<ref name="Nagendra_1988"/> His major works are ''[[Amrutanubhav]]'' and ''[[Bhavarth Deepika]]'' (popularly known as ''Dnyaneshwari''). ''Bhavarth Deepika'' is a 9000-couplets long commentary on the [[Bhagavad Gita]].

[[Namdev]], the Bhakti saint and contemporary of Dnyaneshwar is the other significant literary figure from this era. Namdev composed religious songs in Marathi as well as [[Hindi]]; some of his Hindi compositions are included in the [[Sikhism|Sikh]] holy book, the [[Guru Granth Sahib]].

Another early Marathi writer was [[Mukundaraja]], who wrote ''Vivekasindhu'' and ''Paramamrita''. Both the works deal with the [[Advaita]] philosophy.<ref name="Shrikant2009">{{cite book | author= Shrikant Prasoon | title=Indian saints and sages | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvJa5nTi3VsC&pg=PA139 | access-date=8 April 2012 | year= 2009 | publisher=Pustak Mahal | isbn=978-81-223-1062-7 | pages=139–}}</ref> Some earlier scholars dated him to the 12th century, and considered ''Vivekasindhu'' as the first literary book in Marathi, dating it to 1188. However, most linguistic historians now date Mukundaraja to 14th century or later: the ''Vivekasindhu'' was likely written after ''Lilacharita'' and ''Dnyaneshwari''.{{sfn|Christian Lee Novetzke|2016|p=88}}

=== Deccan Sultanates period ===

There was relatively little activity in Marathi in the early days of the [[Bahmani Sultanate]] (1347–1527) and the [[Bijapur Sultanate]] (1527–1686). The Warkari saint-poet [[Eknath]] (1533–1599), the main successor of Dnyaneshwar, was a major Marathi literary figure during this period. He made available an authentic, edited version of Dnyaneshwari, which had been forgotten after the Islamic invasion of Deccan.<ref name="Nagendra_1988"/> He also wrote several [[abhang]]s (devotional poems), narratives and minor works that dealt with the [[Bhagavata Purana]] He wrote ''[[Eknathi Bhagwat]]'', ''[[Bhavarth Ramayan]]'', ''Rukmini Swayamwar Hastamalak'', and ''[[Bharud]]''. Dasopant was another minor but notable poet from this era.<ref name="Nagendra_1988"/> Mukteshwar (1574-1645), the grandson of Eknath, too, wrote several works in Marathi including a translation of the epic [[Mahabharata]].

''[[Krista Purana]]'', written by the Goa-based Christian missionary [[Thomas Stephens (Jesuit)|Thomas Stephens]], was first published in 1616. It is written in a mix of Marathi and Konkani languages, and the first copy was printed in the Roman script, and tells the story of Jesus Christ.<ref name="Winand1994">{{cite book | author1=Winand M. Callewaert | author2=Rupert Snell | title=According to Tradition: Hagiographical Writing in India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GrMwdEqHLzEC&pg=PA164 | access-date=8 April 2012 | year=1994 | publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag | isbn=978-3-447-03524-8 | pages=164–}}</ref>

=== Maratha period ===
[[File:Tukaram by Raja Ravi Varma.jpg|thumb|left|[[Tukaram]]]]

The [[Maratha]]s, the Marathi-speaking natives, formed their own kingdom under the leadership of [[Shivaji Maharaj]] in the 17th century. The development of the Marathi literature accelerated during this period. [[Tukaram]] and [[Samarth Ramdas]], who were contemporaries of Shivaji, were the well-known poets of the early Maratha period.<ref name="Sadarangani2004">{{cite book | author=Neeti M. Sadarangani | title=Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural Encounter and Impact | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVQrKJbJ2JIC&pg=PA45 | access-date=8 April 2012 | year=2004 | publisher=Sarup & Sons | isbn=978-81-7625-436-6 | pages=45–}}</ref> [[Tukaram]] (1608–1650) was the most prominent Marathi [[Varkari]] spiritual poet identified with the [[Bhakti movement]], and had a great influence on the later Maratha society. His contemporary, [[Samarth Ramdas]] composed ''[[Dasbodh]]'' and ''Manache Shlok'' in Marathi.

In the 18th century, several well-known works like Yatharthadeepika (by [[Vaman Pandit]]), ''Naladamayanti Swayamvara'' (by [[Raghunath Pandit]]), ''Pandava Pratap'', ''Harivijay'', ''Ramvijay'' (by Shridhar Pandit) and ''Mahabharata'' (translation by [[Moropant]]) were produced. The historical section of the old Marathi literature contained the [[Bakhar]]s and the ''Katava''s. Krishna Dayarnava and Sridhar were other leading poets during the [[Peshwa]] rule.<ref name="Nagendra_1988"/> [[Mahipati]], the author who wrote the biographies of the Bhakti Saints also belonged to this era.
{{clear}}

=== British Period ===
[[File:Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak.jpg|thumb|right|Front page of the book ''Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak'' by [[Jyotiba Phule]].]]
The [[British Raj|British colonial period]] saw standardisation of Marathi grammar through the efforts of the Christian missionary [[William Carey (missionary)|William Carey]]. Carey's dictionary had fewer entries and Marathi words were in Devanagari script instead of the Modi script prevalent at that time.<ref>Chavan, Dilip. (2013). “Language Politics: Translation of Coercion into Consent”, Language Politics under Colonialism: Caste, Class and Language Pedagogy in Western India, Cambridge Scholars, 71-135</ref> Carey also translated the new and old testament of the bible into Marathi in 1811 and 1820 respectively.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=George|title=The life of William Carey : shoe-maker and missionary|date=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|isbn=9781108029186|page=239|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLa787pY5gMC&q=%22William+carey%22+marathi+bible&pg=PR1|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref> The most comprehensive Marathi-English dictionaries was compiled by Captain [[James Thomas Molesworth]] and Major [[Thomas Candy]] in 1831. The book is still in print nearly two centuries after its publication.<ref name="Nagendra_1988"/><ref>{{cite book|last=James, Molesworth, Thomas Candy|first=Narayan G Kalelkar|title=Molesworth's, Marathi-English dictionary|year=1857 |edition=2nd |publisher=J.C. Furla, Shubhada Saraswat Prakashan|location=Pune|isbn=81-86411-57-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=owHmI3qi_BIC&q=william+carey+printing++marathi+sharma+modi&pg=PP7}}</ref>
The colonial authorities also worked on standardizing Marathi under the leadership of [[James Thomas Molesworth|Molesworth]]. They used Brahmins of [[Pune]] for this task and adopted the [[Sanskrit]] dominated dialect spoken by this caste in the city as the standard dialect for Marathi.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chavan|first1=Dilip|title=Language politics under colonialism : caste, class and language pedagogy in western India|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge Scholars|location=Newcastle upon Tyne|isbn=978-1443842501|pages=136–184|edition=first|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zuIxBwAAQBAJ&q=poona+marathi&pg=PA148|access-date=13 December 2016}}</ref>
The Christian missionaries introduced the Western forms to the Marathi literature.
{{#tag:ref|According to Hartmut Scharte, Professor Emeritus of Sanskrit, University of California, Los Angeles, USA vide his book "A History of Indian Literature - Grammatical Literature", the author of the first Marathi Grammar was Venkata Madhava, who was a lecturer in Fort St. George College, Madras (now Chennai). Venkata Madhava's three works on Marathi (as was spoken by the then large Maratha colony of Tanjore) exist only in the autographs of the author or his assistant Bhima Pandita. His Marathi Grammar book "महाराष्ट्र प्रयोग चंद्रिका" was written cir. 1827. It has 227 sutras in Samskrt and is accompanied by a Samskrt commentary, a Marathi commentary and Marathi illustrations. The Samskrt section is written in Devnagari script and the Marathi in Modi script. The grammar which generally follows the Siddhanta Kaumudi in its design, was probably meant to introduce Marathi to the neighbouring Tamil speakers.|group=note}}

Marathi at this time was efficiently aided by Marathi Drama. Here, there also was a different genre called 'Sangit Natya' or Musicals. The first play was V.A. Bhave's Sita Swayamvar in 1843. Later Kirloskar (1843–85) and G.B. Deval (1854-1916) brought a romantic aroma and social content. But Krishnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar (1872-1948) with his banned play Kichaka-Vadh (1910) set the trend of political playwriting. These were followed by stalwarts like [[Ram Ganesh Gadkari]] and [[Prahlad Keshav Atre]].

The modern poets like [[Keshavsuta]], Balakavi, Govindagraj, and the poets of [[Ravi Kiran Mandal]] (such as [[Madhav Julian]]) wrote poetry which was influenced by the [[Romantic poetry|Romantic]] and Victorian English poetry. It was largely sentimental and lyrical. [[Prahlad Keshav Atre]], the renowned satirist and a politician wrote a parody of this sort of poetry in his collection ''Jhenduchi Phule''.

[[Sane Guruji]] (1899–1950) contributed to the children's literature in Marathi. His major works are ''[[Shyamchi Aai]], ''AstikandGode Shevata''.'' He translated and simplified many Western Classics and published them in a book of stories titled ''Gode Goshti (Sweet Stories).''

=== Beginning of journalism ===

On January 6, 1832, [[Balshastri Jambhekar]] of the [[Elphinstone College]] began ''Darpan'', the first Marathi-English fortnightly magazine.<ref name="Vilanilam2005">{{cite book | author=John V. Vilanilam | title=Mass Communication In India: A Sociological Perspective | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBU6pN7toHsC&pg=PA57 | access-date=8 April 2012 | date=5 November 2005 | publisher=Sage Publications | isbn=978-0-7619-3372-4 | pages=57–}}</ref>

On 24 October 1841, Govind Vithal Kunte began ''Prabhakar''. Kunte was the first professional Marathi journalist. Prabhakar eulogised Indian art and culture. American missionaries started a marathi magazine called [[Dnyanodaya]] in 1842 which denigrated Hindu religion but also had articles related to science and technology.<ref name="O'Hanlon2002">{{cite book|author=Rosalind O'Hanlon|title=Caste, Conflict and Ideology: Mahatma Jotirao Phule and Low Caste Protest in Nineteenth-Century Western India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kMrsTj1NeYC&pg=PA66|date=22 August 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52308-0|pages=66–67}}</ref> The magazine is still in print today. ''Jnyan Prakash'' was started on 12 February 1849 in Pune. In its early years, It was edited by Krishnaraj Trimbak Ranade. It was published weekly till 1904, when it became a daily. It ceased publication in 1951.The journal advocated education and social reform. [[Hari Narayan Apte]], a popular Marathi novelist also served as its editor. Some of its contributors included [[Mahadev Govind Ranade]] and [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]].In 1862, ''Induprakash'', a bilingual journal, was founded in Bombay. It was edited by [[Mahadev Govind Ranade|M.G. Ranade]].It criticised orthodoxy in hinduism and called for social reforms. In 1877, [[Jyotiba Phule]] and Krishnarao Bhaskar began ''[[Deenbandhu]]'', as part of the Dalit upliftment movement. Deenabandhu was the organ of the [[Satyashodhak Samaj]] founded by Phule. Other notable early Marathi periodicals include ''Jaganmitra'' (from [[Ratnagiri]]), ''Shubh Suchak'' (from [[Satara (city)|Satara]]), ''Vartaman Dipika'', and ''Vartaman Sangrah''.

[[File:Kesari Editorial.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Kesari (newspaper)|Kesari]]'']]
On 4 January 1881, [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] began ''[[Kesari (newspaper)|Kesari]]'', along with [[Gopal Ganesh Agarkar]]. In 1887, Agarkar left to start ''[[Sudharak|sujeet Sudharak]]'' (bilingual) along with Gopal Krishna Gokhale. After Agarkar's death in 1895, it ceased publication. In 1889, ''K. Navalkar'' started the weekly Vartahar to highlight atrocities committed by the ruling British and other Europeans. In 1890, Hari Narayan Apte began ''Karmanuk'', a family entertainment paper. It contained articles on science. Also in 1890, Anandrao Ramachandra Dharandhar started ''Bhoot'' published every new and full moon day. It was the first Marathi paper to carry cartoons on political and social matters. It was very popular but ceased publication in 1904.

==Present times (1947- till now )==

{{See also|Maharashtra Bhushan Award}}
[[Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar]] (1889–1976)'s ''Yayati'' won him the [[Jnanpith Award]] for 1975. He also wrote many other novels, short stories, essays etc. His major works are ''Don Dhruv'' (Two Poles), ''[[Ulka (novel)|Ulka]]'' (Meteorite), ''[[Krounchavadh]]'', ''[[Jalalela Mohar]]'', ''[[Amrutvel]]''.

Marathi drama flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, with literary figures like Vasant Kanetkar, [[Kusumagraj]] and [[Vijay Tendulkar]].

The major paradigm shift {{citation needed|reason=why you say so|date=June 2016}} in Marathi literature sensibilities began in the forties with the modernist poetry of B.S. Mardhekar. In the mid fifties, the [[little magazine movement]] gained momentum. It published writings which were non-conformist, radical and experimental. [[Dalit (outcaste)|Dalit]] literary movement also gained strength due to the little magazine movement. This radical movement was influenced by the philosophy of [[Babasaheb Ambedkar]] and challenged the literary establishment which was largely middle class, urban, and upper [[caste]] people. The little magazine movement threw up many noted writers. [[Bhalchandra Nemade]] is a well-known novelist, critic and poet. Sharad Rane is a well-known child literary figure. The notable poets include [[Arun Kolatkar]], [[Dilip Chitre]], [[Namdeo Dhasal]], [[Vasant Abaji Dahake]] and [[Manohar Oak]]. [[Bhau Padhye]], [[Vilas Sarang]], Shyam Manohar, [[Suhas Shirvalkar]] and Visharm Bedekar are well known fiction writers.<ref name="NatarajanNelson1996">{{cite book|author1=Nalini Natarajan|author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson|author3=Shripad D. Joshi|title=Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&pg=PR9|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|pages=207–233|chapter=8 Twentieth Century Marathi Literature}}</ref>

Another major shift sensibility began in the nineties with the poems and criticism of Shridhar Tilve and the poetry of poets associated with Saushthav, Abhidhanantar and Shabadavedh. In the post nineties, this 'new little magazine movement' gained momentum and poets like Shridhar Tilve who stood against postmodernism and nativism and poets like [[Manya Joshi]], [[Hemant Divate]], Sachin Ketkar, [[Mangesh Narayanrao Kale]], [[Saleel Wagh]], Mohan Borse, Nitin Kulkarni, Nitin Arun Kulkarni, [[Varjesh Solanki]], Sandeep Deshpande, Vasant Gurjar who touched the new areas of post-modern life. The poetry collections brought out by Abhidhanantar Prakashan, Time and Space, Popular Prakashan, Navta Prakashan and the regular issues of the magazine Abhidhanantar and IRREGULAR issues of Saushthav, Shabdvedh are taking Marathi poetry to the global standards.{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2015}} Another leading wave in contemporary Marathi poetry is the poetry of new dalit wave poets like Arun Kale, Bhujang Meshram and new deshi wave poets like Pravin Bandekar, Shrikant Deshmukh and Veerdhaval Parab.

=== Science fiction ===
Marathi science fiction has a rich heritage and a wide enthusiastic readership. In the early 20th century, Marathi science fiction work was more aligned to fantasy. After 1950, several writers started translating classic English science fiction literature and also contributed independent work.{{cn|date=October 2020}}

The modern Marathi science fiction took off after technology started playing a major role in providing a rich context for speculating about the future. From 1975, modern Marathi science fiction has been regularly published in mainstream magazines and also in publications devoted to science and technology.{{cn|date=October 2020}}

Marathi Vidnyan Parishad has been consistently at the forefront for modern Marathi science fiction, contributing through multiple channels – publications, translations, critique, writing workshops, and its annual science fiction competition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mavipamumbai.org/science-fiction/|title=विज्ञान कथा पुरस्कार – मराठी विज्ञान परिषद (मुंबई)}}</ref>{{self-published-inline|date=October 2020}} Many modern writers have emerged from this prestigious competition running uninterrupted since 1970.The first wave of writers includes [[:mr:भास्कर_रामचंद्र_भागवत|B R Bhagwat]], [[:mr:दत्तात्रेय_पांडुरंग_खांबेटे|D P Khambete]], [[:mr:नारायण_धारप|Narayan Dharap]], [[:mr:दि.बा._मोकाशी|D B Mokhashi]], Gajanan Kshirsagar, and [[:mr:यशवंत_रांजणकर|Yashawant Ranjankar]]. The modern writers are: [[:mr:जयंत_विष्णू_नारळीकर|Jayant Narlikar]], [[:mr:बाळ_फोंडके|Bal Phondke]], [[:mr:निरंजन_घाटे|Niranajan Ghate]], [[:mr:लक्ष्मण_लोंढे|Lakshman Londhe]], [[:mr:सुबोध_जावडेकर|Subodh Jawdekar]], Arun Mande, [[:mr:माधुरी_शानभाग|Madhuri Shanbhag]], [[:mr:शुभदा_गोगटे|Shubhada Gogate]], Sanjay Dhole, D V Kulkarni, Arun Sadhu, [[:mr:मेघश्री_दळवी|Meghashri Dalvi]], Sudha Risbud, Smita Potnis, Prasanna Karandikar, Ashish Mahabal, D V Jahagirdar, Yashawant Deshpande.{{cn|date=October 2020}}

=== Encyclopedia ===
Over the last century or so, a number of producing encyclopedias have been produced in marathi. These include . [[Shridhar Venkatesh Ketkar|Shreedhar Venkatesh Ketkar's]] 'Dnyaankosh', Siddheshwarshastri Chitrao's 'Charitra Kosh', [[Mahadevshastri Joshi]]'s 'Bharatiy Sanskrutikosh', and [[Laxmanshastri Balaji Joshi|Laxmanshastri Joshi's]] 'Dharmakosh' and '[[Marathi Vishwakosh]]'.

=== Dalit Literature ===
{{Main articles|Dalit literature#Dalit literature in Maharashtra}}
It was in 1958, that the term "Dalit literature" was used for the first time, when the first conference of ''Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangha'' (Maharashtra Dalit Literature Society) was held at [[Mumbai]], a movement inspired by 19th century social reformer, [[Jyotiba Phule]] and eminent dalit leader, Dr. [[Bhimrao Ambedkar]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbook of twentieth-century literatures of India |last=Natarajan |first=Nalini |author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson|chapter= Chap 13: Dalit Literature in Marathi by Veena Deo|year=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0-313-28778-3|page=363 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&q=Dalit+literature&pg=PA363 }}</ref>

[[Baburao Bagul]] (1930–2008) was a pioneer of [[Dalit]] writings in Marathi.<ref name=han>[https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&dq=Baburao+Bagul&pg=PA368 Issues of Language and Representation:Babu Rao Bagul] ''Handbook of twentieth-century literatures of India'', Editors: Nalini Natarajan, Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996. {{ISBN|0-313-28778-3}}. '' Page 368''.</ref> His first collection of stories, ''Jevha Mi Jat Chorali'' (जेव्हा मी जात चोरली) (When I Concealed My Caste), published in 1963, created a stir in Marathi literature with its passionate depiction of a cruel society and thus brought in new momentum to Dalit literature in Marathi.<ref name=sa>[https://books.google.com/books?id=kLn11KD4ea0C&dq=%22Baburao+Bagul%22+Awards&pg=PA409 Mother 1970] ''Indian short stories, 1900–2000'', by E.V. Ramakrishnan, I. V. Ramakrishnana. [[Sahitya Akademi]]. ''Page 217'', ''Page 409'' (Biography).</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&dq=Baburao+Bagul&pg=PA1823 Jevha Mi Jat Chorali Hoti (1963)] ''Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 2''. Editors Amaresh Datta. [[Sahitya Akademi]], 1988. {{ISBN|81-260-1194-7}}. ''Page 1823''.</ref> Gradually with other writers like, [[Namdeo Dhasal]] (who founded [[Dalit Panther]]), these Dalit writings paved way for the strengthening of Dalit movement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Of art, identity, and politics |url= http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/01/23/stories/2003012300470200.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030702073745/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/01/23/stories/2003012300470200.htm|url-status= dead|archive-date= July 2, 2003|work=[[The Hindu]] |date=Jan 23, 2003 }}</ref> Notable Dalit authors writing in Marathi include [[Arun Kamble]], [[Shantabai Kamble]], [[Raja Dhale]], [[Namdev Dhasal]], [[Daya Pawar]], [[Annabhau Sathe]], [[Laxman Mane]], [[Laxman Gaikwad]], [[Sharankumar Limbale]], [[Bhau Panchbhai]], [[Kishor Shantabai Kale]], [[Narendra Jadhav]], and [[Urmila Pawar]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mathur |first1=Barkha |title=City hails Pantawane as 'father of Dalit literature' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/city-hails-pantawane-as-father-of-dalit-literature-mourn-his-passing-away/articleshow/63494065.cms |access-date=22 February 2019 |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Deo |first1=Veena |last2=Zelliot |first2=Eleanor |title=Dalit Literaturetwenty-Five Years of Protest? Of Progress? |journal=Journal of South Asian Literature |date=1994 |volume= 29 |issue=2 |pages=41–67 |jstor=25797513}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Feldhaus |first1=Anne |title=Images of Women in Maharashtrian Literature and Religion |date=1996 |publisher=SUNY Press |page=78 |isbn=9780791428375 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooV3Rz9zQvQC&q=Jyooti+Lanjewar+marathi+dalit&pg=PA78 |access-date=22 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/gender/how-three-generations-of-dalit-women-writers-saw-their-identities-and-struggle-4984202/ |title=How three generations of Dalit women writers saw their identities and struggle? |website=[[The Indian Express]] |author=Maya Pandit |date=27 December 2017 |access-date=22 February 2019}}</ref>

== Awards ==
Four Marathi writers have been honored with the [[Jnanpith Award]]:<ref>{{cite web | url= http://jnanpith.net/page/jnanpith-laureates | title= Jnanpith Laureates Official listings | access-date= 2012-04-08 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120218122436/http://www.jnanpith.net/page/jnanpith-laureates | archive-date= 2012-02-18 | url-status= dead }}</ref>

* [[Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar]]
* [[Kusumagraj|Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar]] (Kusumagraj)
* [[Vinda Karandikar]]
* [[Bhalchandra Nemade]]

Every year, [[Sahitya Akademi]] gives the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] to Marathi writers for their outstanding contribution to Marathi literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sahitya-akademi.org/sahitya-akademi/awa10313.htm#marathi|title=sahitya-akademi.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230165626/http://www.sahitya-akademi.org/sahitya-akademi/awa10313.htm#marathi|archive-date=2006-12-30}}</ref> See the [[List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Marathi]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Literature}}
* [[Geet Ramayan]]
* [[Marathi people]]
* [[Marathi Christians]]
* [[Marathi Buddhists]]
* [[List of Marathi-language authors]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |author=Christian Lee Novetzke |author-link=Christian Lee Novetzke |title=The Quotidian Revolution: Vernacularization, Religion, and the Premodern Public Sphere in India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9kbDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA54 |year=2016 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-54241-8 }}
* {{cite book |author=M. K. Nadkarni |title=A short history of Marathi literature |publisher=Luhana Mitra Steam Printing Press, Baroda |year= 1921|url=https://archive.org/stream/apg4681.0001.001.umich.edu#page/n3/mode/2up |ref=Na }} ([https://archive.org/details/apg4681.0001.001.umich.edu PDF form])

== External links ==
{{commons category|Marathi-language literature}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064301/http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=59&id=5420 Marathi Literature in the Twenty-first Century: An Overview]
*[http://india.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=2682 A Brief Introduction to New Marathi Poetry on Poetry International Web]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151208065121/http://www.museindia.com/viewarticle.asp?myr=2005&issid=3&id=69 Globalization and New Marathi Poetry]
*[http://www.prophet666.com/2010/10/aartis-marathi-english.html Devotional Aartis of Maharashtra]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110218214220/http://yabaluri.org/TRIVENI/CDWEB/ModernMarathiPoetryARemarkableDecadeJul31.htm Marathi Poetry in the Early Twentieth Century]
*[http://www.marathimati.com/Maharashtra/Literature/Literature.asp Marathi Literature of Maharashtra]
*[https://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/salrp/marathi.html Contemporary Marathi Writers]
*[http://sachinketkar.blogspot.in/2011/02/inventing-third-nation-brief-history-of.html Sachin Ketkar's article on Brief History of Marathi poetry in past one hundred years]
*[https://www.worldrecordsindia.com/2022/09/23/longest-marathi-poem/ Longest Marathi Poem “Aani Maza Buddha Bolala” 2000+ Line World Records India by Prof.Jyoti Dhondiram Pandit (Dhutmal)]

{{Marathi language topics}}
{{Maharashtra}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marathi Literature}}
[[Category:Indian literature by language]]
[[Category:Marathi-language literature|*]]
[[Category:Indian literature]]
[[Category:Literature by language]]
[[Category:Maharashtra]]

Marathi literature - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 00:24, 30 August 2023