Shiv K. Kumar – English writer best known for poetry

Shiv K. Kumar (1921 – 2017) was an English writer, best known for poetry. He also published a few books in Urdu poetry. Apart from poetry, he also published novels, short stories, plays, literary criticism and translations. He was a recipient of Sahitya Academy Award for English literature in 1987. He earned this honour for his anthology in poems – Trapfalls. He also taught at different universities and colleges, and was an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, London in 1978. He published his first book – Articulate Silences, a collection of poems in year 1970 and has published books at age 93+; Which of My Selves Do You Wish to Speak to, ’Where have the Dead Gone?’ etc to mention a few.

His full name is Shiv Kumar Kumar and he was a native of Lahore. His early days were spent in Lahore where he completed his school and college education, and also started his profession as a lecturer. Soon after partition, he moved to Delhi. After working with AIR for a brief period in the late 1940s, he moved to Cambridge for advanced studies and completed PhD in English Literature in 1956. Once he returned to India, he moved to Hyderabad where he lived the entire life busy with writing and also as a professor at Osmania University and the University of Hyderabad.

Shiv K. Kumar – Some interesting and unknown facts

1. Many of his poems and short stories have been broadcast over the BBC, and a few have been translated to foreign languages. His poems have also appeared in many international magazines.

2. Though best known as an English poet, after year 2000 he has published a few Urdu poetry works – Intezar, Mujasma-e-Husn, Tum Kaho Main Sunoon etc to name a few. In fact he switched to Urdu in the latter years.

3. He was also a literary critic and professor.

4. Kumar has written about 40 books and he was fully involved with writing till his last days. He owns 10 poetry collections, 5 novels, 2 short story collections, a play and several books of literary criticism.

5. His first love is poetry.

6. Punjabi is his mother tongue. However he never thought of writing in this language.

7. He has witnessed a few personal issues in his life such as divorce, deprivation, betrayal and litigation.