Nissim Ezekiel – Prolific writer of English and an artist

Nissim Ezekiel (1924 – 2004) was an eminent Jewish writer of English, best known as a poet of international acclaim. His name is taken one among the quartet who laid foundation of Indian English poetry in the modern era, the other three being Jayanta Mahapatra, A. K. Ramanujan and R. Parthasarathy. He was also an artist, known as an actor, playwright and art critic. He received Sahitya Akademi Award for English literature in 1983 for his poetry, collection, “Latter-Day Psalms“. Through his works he has explored Indian civilization and tradition, and is well-known for the clever use of Indian English as a means to explore Indian mind and sensibility.

Nissim Ezekiel was born in Mumbai into a Jewish family. He was into teaching profession, along with his writings and art work, and also had a brief stint in politics. In 1952 he published first book, The Bad Day, followed by ‘The Deadly Man’ in 1960, and both were poetry collections in English. Hymns in Darkness, Latter-Day Psalms, The Discovery of India etc are a few more books. He was a recipient of prestigious Padma Shri in 1988.

Nissim Ezekiel – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. He is considered the father of Modern Indian English poetry by many critics.

2. He worked as an advertising copywriter in the 1960s.

3. He is the uncle of singer and actor, Nandu Bhende.

4. He started the literal magazine Jumpo, in 1961.

5. He translated Marathi poems of Indira Sant to English – Snakeskin and Other Poems in 1974.