Vijay Nambisan

Vijay Nambisan was a poet, writer, critic and journalist of India writing in English. He won the First Prize in the first All India Poetry Competition in 1990 organized by The Poetry Society (India) in collaboration with the British Council.He left the world on 2017.[1]

Biography

Vijay Nambisan was a co-author of the poetry book Gemini with Jeet Thayil and Dom Moraes. '’Gemini'’ was Thayil's debut poetry book. Nambisan has also translated the devotional poetry of Poonthanam and Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri.

In his monumental book '’Language as an Ethic'’,[2] Nambisan passionately appeals to both the writers and readers of literature for ethical use of language.

Nambisan was the first ever All India Poetry Champion in 1988 for his poem Madras Central. The poem has since received rave reviews from critics as well as lay readers.[3]

Vijay Nambisan was 54 years old when he died.[4]

Personal life

Vijay Nambisan graduated from IIT Madras, Chennai. He married the novelist and doctor Kavery Nambisan, who is famous for the books The Truth (Almost) About Bharat, The Scent of Pepper and The Story That Must Not Be Told. The latter was nominated for Man Asian Literary Prize in 2008.

Bibliography

Books

• Language as an Ethic (Essays) New Delhi: Penguin Books, India 2003. ISBN 978-0143030218
• Bihar is in the Eyes of the Beholder (Reflection) (Poetry in English). New Delhi: Viking, India 2000. ISBN 978-0670892402
• Gemini (Poems). New Delhi: Viking Books, India 1992.
• '’Puntanam and Melpattur : Two Measures of Bhakti'’ (Religion), Penguin Books, India New Delhi (2009). ISBN 978-0143064480

Online references

• Book Reviews in DNA by Vijay Nambisan
• ‘’Reasons of Belonging’’ -“Fourteen Contemporary Indian Poets” by Ranjit Hoskote

See also

• Kaveri Nambisan – A Biography
• Indian Poets Writing in English
• The Poetry Society (India)

Notes

1. "First National Poetry Competition – Prize winning poems".
2. "Penguin India – Language as an Ethic".
3. "India Uncut – Madras Central by Nambisan".
4. "Vijay Nambisan, poet and writer, dead". The Indian Express. The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 August 2017.