Prolific Kannada writer, Dr. KV Tirumalesh passed away on January 30, 2023 in Hyderabad. Photo Credit: Ramakrishna ji
Noted Kannada writer KV Tirumalesh (82) passed away on Monday in Hyderabad. He was suffering from age related ailments. He is regarded as one of the most versatile writers across genres and is known to be a man of eclectic interests.
Although primarily recognized as a poet and awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his innovative works renewable poetry – “a tall tale without story or purpose” as he described it – he wrote widely in all genres, including plays, short stories, novels, translations and criticism.
Born in 1940 at Karadaka village in Kasaragod district (presently in Kerala), he was a linguist who trained and taught at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad. He also taught for a short time at the University of Iowa, United States and in Yemen.
in the 1960s and beyond
Tirumalesh makes his debut with poetry collection mukhvadgalu in 1968 and is considered one of the important modernist (navya) poets of Kannada. While his early poetry is admired for its modernist sensibilities and the influence of European existentialism, he rediscovered himself and became more diverse in his influences and writings in later years. For example, he wrote ten collections of Geet, Bal Kavita among others.
from his collection AwadhaYou just can’t classify his poetry as modernist….he once told me Awadha To be treated as a poet’s scrapbook. He was constantly experimenting,” said author MS Sriram, who had a close association with Dr Tirumalesh.
Although primarily recognized as a poet and awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his innovative works renewable poetry – “a long narrative without story or purpose” as he described it – KV Tirumalesh wrote widely across all genres including plays, short stories, novels, translations and criticism. , Photo Credit: Ramakrishna ji
“he said in an interview” increasing ovum bond“(Commitment is a bond),” said Dr. Sriram, which perhaps best sums up his writings and life. Tirumalesh’s eclectic interests ranging from science to linguistics are evident in his writings and translations. Dr. Sriram said, “It was difficult to say what he would not like.”
Noted critic Rahmath Tarikere said that Tirumalesh like Girish Karnad, Vivek Shanbag, Umrao and Jayant Kaikini came from a cosmopolitan world and their writings were influenced by the essence of their multilingualism. “Being born in Kasaragod, he knew Malayalam, taught English, wrote in Kannada and lived in a city that was predominantly Telugu and Urdu-speaking,” he said. “Her original poetry was inspired by the everyday life of Hyderabad and its history,” he said.
Sriram also said that like Yashwant Chittal who lives in Mumbai, Tirumalesh, who lives in Hyderabad, did not get the recognition he deserved. But both Chittal and Tirumalesh have influenced a generation of writers, which is more abstract to assess.
as a translator and linguist
Tirumalesh translated many authors, including the French writer Gérard de Nerval, the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, and the American novelist Herman Melville. He also translated the Spanish epic don quixote, while he has two plays Caligula And tiberius Critically acclaimed, he has also written at least three novels and four collections of short stories. He not only became a newspaper columnist but also embraced technology and in recent years became a blogger.
Another critic, Dr. Purushottam Billimale, said, “Tirumalesh was a linguist and one of those rare people who wrote about language very sensitively.” Three collections of his writings on Kannada language, several collections of criticism and essays have also been published. Her work bendre poetry style, existentialism And poetry are critically acclaimed.