A. J. Thomas
Encyclopedia
A. J. Thomas is an India
n poet writing in English
. He is an acclaimed translator of poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction prose from his mother tongue Malayalam
, the language of Kerala
, the southernmost State of India. He was the Editor of Indian Literature
, the 200-page bimonthly English journal of Sahitya Akademi
, (The National Academy of Letters, India) until 10 August 2010. In October 2007, this journal celebrated its Golden Jubilee of uninterrupted publication.
, in the foothills of the Western Ghats
(Sahyadri), in the valley of Mount Illickan. For the first ten years of his life, he lived in an Eden-like situation in a hill-hamlet, Mechal, surrounded by pure nature where he enjoyed total freedom in the wilderness, like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer rolled into one. His mother, though not much formally educated, was a poet by nature. She would treat the plants she nurtured and the animals she reared as her own children, and used to even talk to them endearingly, and quarrel with them if necessary. He owes his poetry to her. Later, in his early youth, it was during his two-year stay at Bandel, on the banks of the Ganges (Hooghly), in West Bengal
that he began writing poetry in English. During the three years from 1973 to 1976 when he lived in Mananthavady, Wynad, a hotbed of intense political and cultural activity in those days of the beginning of the Emergency, his creative engagement began to take a definite direction.
When he moved from Wynad in 1976, to work with the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, in it Aranyanivas Hotel in Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve (Wildlife Sanctuary) in Idukki District
, in the High Ranges of south-central Kerala, he had the opportunity to see internationally famous writers like Dominique Lapierre
, Sir Angus Wilson
, Salman Rushdie, and Indian writers like Pritish Nandy, M. T. Vasudevan Nair
and others, which inspired him. Writers like V. Sadasivan, the Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan,the poet who spearheaded the resurgence of raw energy in creativity and inspired pride in literary activities, Satchidanandan, E. V. Ramakrishnan, U. R. Anantha Murthy, R. Narendra Prasad, his friend and classmate A. Anvar Ali, Paul Zacharia
, and others with whom he was deeply involved during this period, witnessed his gradual rise as a poet and translator.
It was about this time that his first collection of poems Germination (1989) came out.
The first book of translation with which Thomas came to be noticed was Bhaskara Pattelar and Other Stories,a collection of Paul Zacharia's stories, which he did along with Gita Krishnankutty and the author. The translation of Paul Zacharia's story “Salam America” brought him the Katha Award. Next, he won the First Prize in an international translation competition conducted in 1996 by Kerala Medical Graduates in the Americas, which included a cash award and a trip to the United States to participate in the Annual Convention of The Associated Writing Program in Washington, D.C.
and to attend an International Workshop in Creative Writing at the Writers’ Center, Bethesda
, Maryland.
The verse-fiction, Ujjaini based on the life Kalidasa, by O. N. V. Kurup, the doyen of Malayalam poetry, in Thomas's translation, won very great critical acclaim.
He grew strong in his translation of Malayalam poetry, fiction and drama, publishing them from reputed houses like Penguin India, Rupa and Co., Roli Books, and of course, from the National Academy of Letters. For translating the novel Keshavan’s Lamentions, by the veteran Malayalam novelist M.Mukundan, he won the Vodafone Crossword Book Award
2007, which has been called the ‘Indian Booker Prize’.
Thomas goes on writing poetry in English regularly, publishing in leading journals and magazines like The Little Magazine. He reads his poems in prestigious forums in the national capital and other cities like Calcutta
.
The National Academy of Letters, in one of its National Executive Board Meetings, suo motu elected him on a permanent basis, as a literary translator, to its Panel of Translators.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n poet writing in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He is an acclaimed translator of poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction prose from his mother tongue Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
, the language of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, the southernmost State of India. He was the Editor of Indian Literature
Indian Literature (journal)
Indian Literature is an English-language literary journal published bi-monthly by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. the editor was A. J. Thomas, and Gopi Chand Narang, Sunil Gangopadhyaya and Agrahara Krishna Murthy, inspired by K...
, the 200-page bimonthly English journal of Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, (The National Academy of Letters, India) until 10 August 2010. In October 2007, this journal celebrated its Golden Jubilee of uninterrupted publication.
Biography
A. J. Thomas was born in Moonnilavu, a hilly region in south-central KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, in the foothills of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
(Sahyadri), in the valley of Mount Illickan. For the first ten years of his life, he lived in an Eden-like situation in a hill-hamlet, Mechal, surrounded by pure nature where he enjoyed total freedom in the wilderness, like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer rolled into one. His mother, though not much formally educated, was a poet by nature. She would treat the plants she nurtured and the animals she reared as her own children, and used to even talk to them endearingly, and quarrel with them if necessary. He owes his poetry to her. Later, in his early youth, it was during his two-year stay at Bandel, on the banks of the Ganges (Hooghly), in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
that he began writing poetry in English. During the three years from 1973 to 1976 when he lived in Mananthavady, Wynad, a hotbed of intense political and cultural activity in those days of the beginning of the Emergency, his creative engagement began to take a definite direction.
When he moved from Wynad in 1976, to work with the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, in it Aranyanivas Hotel in Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve (Wildlife Sanctuary) in Idukki District
Idukki district
Idukki district is one among the 14 districts of Kerala state, India. The district headquarters is located at in Painavu.It is the second least populous district in Kerala, after Wayanad .-Etymology:...
, in the High Ranges of south-central Kerala, he had the opportunity to see internationally famous writers like Dominique Lapierre
Dominique Lapierre
Dominique Lapierre is a French author.-Life:Dominique Lapierre was born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France. At the age of thirteen, he traveled to America with his father who was a diplomat...
, Sir Angus Wilson
Angus Wilson
Sir Angus Frank Johnstone Wilson, CBE was an English novelist and short story writer. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot and later received a knighthood for his services to literature.-Biography:Wilson was born in Bexhill, Sussex, England, to...
, Salman Rushdie, and Indian writers like Pritish Nandy, M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
and others, which inspired him. Writers like V. Sadasivan, the Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan,the poet who spearheaded the resurgence of raw energy in creativity and inspired pride in literary activities, Satchidanandan, E. V. Ramakrishnan, U. R. Anantha Murthy, R. Narendra Prasad, his friend and classmate A. Anvar Ali, Paul Zacharia
Paul Zacharia
Paul Zacharia is a Malayalam short story writer, novelist and essayist. Born in Urulikkunnam in Kottayam district in Kerala, India, Zacharia lives in Trivandrum.-Literary career:...
, and others with whom he was deeply involved during this period, witnessed his gradual rise as a poet and translator.
It was about this time that his first collection of poems Germination (1989) came out.
The first book of translation with which Thomas came to be noticed was Bhaskara Pattelar and Other Stories,a collection of Paul Zacharia's stories, which he did along with Gita Krishnankutty and the author. The translation of Paul Zacharia's story “Salam America” brought him the Katha Award. Next, he won the First Prize in an international translation competition conducted in 1996 by Kerala Medical Graduates in the Americas, which included a cash award and a trip to the United States to participate in the Annual Convention of The Associated Writing Program in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and to attend an International Workshop in Creative Writing at the Writers’ Center, Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Maryland.
The verse-fiction, Ujjaini based on the life Kalidasa, by O. N. V. Kurup, the doyen of Malayalam poetry, in Thomas's translation, won very great critical acclaim.
He grew strong in his translation of Malayalam poetry, fiction and drama, publishing them from reputed houses like Penguin India, Rupa and Co., Roli Books, and of course, from the National Academy of Letters. For translating the novel Keshavan’s Lamentions, by the veteran Malayalam novelist M.Mukundan, he won the Vodafone Crossword Book Award
Vodafone Crossword Book Award
Vodafone Crossword Book Award is an Indian book award sponsored by Vodafone and Crossword Bookstores. It is India's biggest private sector award. The Award was instituted in 1998 with the intention of competing with The Booker Prize, Commonwealth Writers' Prize or The Pulitzer Prize.The award...
2007, which has been called the ‘Indian Booker Prize’.
Thomas goes on writing poetry in English regularly, publishing in leading journals and magazines like The Little Magazine. He reads his poems in prestigious forums in the national capital and other cities like Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
The National Academy of Letters, in one of its National Executive Board Meetings, suo motu elected him on a permanent basis, as a literary translator, to its Panel of Translators.