P. Raja

P. Raja

Author and Professor from Pondicherry
Born October 07, 1952
Pondicherry
Occupation Bilingual Writer, Columnist, Editor, Professor
Children 3
Website www.professorraja.com

Professor P. Raja (born 1952) is an award-winning Indian author and professor who writes in his chosen language, English, and also in his mother tongue, Tamil. More than 5000 of his works – poems, short stories, interviews, articles, book reviews, plays, skits, features and novellas – have seen the light through newspapers and magazines that number to 350 in both India and elsewhere.

He has 30 books for adults and 8 books for children in English and 14 books in Tamil. Apart from contributing special articles to Encyclopaedia of Post-Colonial Literature in English (London), Encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature in English, and to several other edited volumes, he has also written scripts for Television (Delhi). He broadcasts his short stories and poems from All India Radio, Pondicherry.

He was General Council Member of Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi (English Advisory Board (2008–2012)) representing Pondicherry University. He is the Editor of TRANSFIRE, a literary quarterly devoted to translations from various languages into English.

Biography

Early life

P.Raja was born on October 7, 1952 at Olandai-Keerapalayam, a village in Pondicherry. His father, M.Purushothaman, was a clerk in Rodier Mill, later known as Anglo-French Textiles, Pondicherry, and his knowledge of French, English and Tamil helped him work as a translator too for his English and French officers. His mother, Sagunthala, managed the home and the kitchen. He graduated in English Literature from Tagore Arts College, and then moved to Annamalai University (Tamil Nadu) for his post-graduation. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Madras University.

Marriage

Prof. P.Raja is married to Periyanayaki. And the couple live with their children and grandchildren.

Published works

Exposed to a cosmopolitan culture since childhood, P.Raja, a professor of English, began writing in his early youth and has published poems, short stories, interviews, articles, book reviews, plays, skits and features in more than 150 periodicals both in India and abroad. Two eminent American journals – Spindrift and Aristos – brought out special issues to highlight his writings.

His two collections of poems From Zero To Infinity (1987) and To A Lonely Grey Hair (1997) reflect his various concerns. P.Raja’s works won him International Eminent Poet Award (1988) from Chennai and Michael Madhusudan Academy Award (1991) from Kolkata. Pondicherry University honoured him with its literary award in 1987. And in 2009 the Govt. of Pondicherry honoured him with ‘Excellence in Literature’ Award.

His fame as a creative writer rests partly on his two collections of short stories The Blood and Other Stories (1989) and Kozhi Grandpa’s Chickens (1997), and a collection of autobiographical essays For Your Ears Only (1997). The title story in the first collection was nominated for America’s prestigious literary award – the Pushcart Prize.

He has collected a vast number of folktales, songs and riddles and rendered them into English. These volumes include Folktales of Pondicherry (1987), Tales of Mulla Nasruddin (1989) and Sudden Tales the Folks told (1995). Among his non-fictional works A Concise History of Pondicherry (1987), M.P.Pandit: A Peep into His past (1993), Many Worlds of Manoj Das (1993) the first one is a mini-classic. Probably as a sequel to this book he is working on a five volume Encyclopaedia Pondicherriana which will contain exhaustive information about this ex- French colony.

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

(In chronological order)

Bibliography

Books Published

Prof. P. Raja has authored 30 books for adults and 8 booklets for children:

Poems:

Short stories:

Plays:

Folktales:

History:

Translations:

Translated nearly 200 articles for Brittanica Thakaval Kalai Kalanjiyam (Ananda Vikatan, Chennai)

Biography & Criticism:

Autobiography:

Essays:

Edited Volumes:

Publications in Tamil

His very first short story ‘Nandu Pidikka Poi’ was shortlisted for the prestigious Jothi Vinayagam Memorial Award. Later included in the anthology Erupadhaam Nootrandu Pudhuvai Kathaigal edited by Prabhanjan and Bharathi Vasandhan (Kavitha Publications, Chennai, 2001).

Books published:

Translations

Essays – Original

Short Stories - Collection

Poems- Original

Awards for Tamil works

Credits

External links

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References


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