Ved Mehta
Encyclopedia
Ved Parkash Mehta is a writer
who was born in Lahore
, British India (now a Pakistan
i city) to a Hindu
family. He lost his sight at the age of four as the result of an attack of cerebrospinal meningitis
. Because of the limited prospects for blind people in general, his father, a doctor, sent him over 1,300 miles away to the Dadar School for the Blind in Bombay.
Mehta has lived in the Western world
since 1949; he became an American citizen in 1975. He was educated at Pomona College
, at Balliol College, Oxford
where he read Modern History, and at Harvard University
, where he earned a double BA
and MA
. His first book, an autobiography called Face to Face, which placed his early life in the context of Indian politics and history and Anglo-Indian relations, was published in 1957. Since then he has written more than 24 books, including several that deal with the subject of blindness, as well as hundreds of articles and short stories, for British, Indian and American publications such as The New Yorker
, where he was a staff writer from 1961 to 1994, during which time Spy
magazine published a critical article about his misogynist attitude toward his assistants and writings that were frequently regarded as dull and self-indulgent. He left the magazine after, as he has claimed, he was "terminated" by editor Tina Brown
.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
in 2009.
His wife, Linn Cary Mehta, is a descendant of James Fenimore Cooper
and niece of Mehta's former New Yorker colleague Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.; they married in 1983.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who was born in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, British India (now a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i city) to a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
family. He lost his sight at the age of four as the result of an attack of cerebrospinal meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
. Because of the limited prospects for blind people in general, his father, a doctor, sent him over 1,300 miles away to the Dadar School for the Blind in Bombay.
Mehta has lived in the Western world
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
since 1949; he became an American citizen in 1975. He was educated at Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
where he read Modern History, and at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he earned a double BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
. His first book, an autobiography called Face to Face, which placed his early life in the context of Indian politics and history and Anglo-Indian relations, was published in 1957. Since then he has written more than 24 books, including several that deal with the subject of blindness, as well as hundreds of articles and short stories, for British, Indian and American publications such as The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, where he was a staff writer from 1961 to 1994, during which time Spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
magazine published a critical article about his misogynist attitude toward his assistants and writings that were frequently regarded as dull and self-indulgent. He left the magazine after, as he has claimed, he was "terminated" by editor Tina Brown
Tina Brown
Tina Brown, Lady Evans, CBE , is a journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host and author of The Diana Chronicles, a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales. Born a British citizen, she took United States citizenship in 2005 after emigrating in 1984 to edit Vanity Fair...
.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
in 2009.
His wife, Linn Cary Mehta, is a descendant of James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
and niece of Mehta's former New Yorker colleague Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.; they married in 1983.
Selected works
- Face to Face (autobiography, 1957)
- Walking the Indian Streets (travel journal, 1960)
- Fly and the Fly-Bottle: Encounters with British Intellectuals (contemporary philosophy and historiography; Boston: Little Brown, 1962)
- The New Theologian (Christian theology; New York, Harper and Row, 1966)
- Delinquent Chacha (novel; New York: Harper and Row, 1966)
- Portrait of India (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1970)
- John Is Easy to Please: Encounters with the Written and the Spoken Word (transformational grammar, 1971), ISBN 0-374-17986-7
- Daddyji (biography, 1972), ISBN 0-374-13438-3
- Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles (portrait of Gandhi, 1977), ISBN 0-670-45087-1
- The New India (study of modernisation, 1978), ISBN 0-670-50735-0
- A Family Affair: India Under Three Prime Ministers (1982) ISBN 0-19-503118-0
- A Ved Mehta Reader: The Craft of the Essay (Yale, 1998) ISBN 978-0300075618
- All for Love (2002) ISBN 1-56025-321-5
External links
- http://www.vedmehta.com/
- 1986 audio interview with Ved Mehta by Don SwaimDon SwaimDon Swaim is an American journalist and broadcaster.Born in Kansas, Swaim earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Ohio University and worked as editor, writer, producer, reporter and anchor at WCBS in New York and CBS in Baltimore....
- A guide to the Ved Mehta Papers at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library