Nissim Ezekiel (1924-2004) was an Indian poet, actor, playwright, editor and art critic. He is known as the father of English poetry in post-independence India and his poetry is included in NCERT’s high school curriculum. He is also a broadcaster and social commentator. He is a Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Cultural Award recipient. Ezekiel played an important role in the development of English poetry in India. He died on January 9, 2004, in Mumbai.
Wiki/Biography
Nissim Ezekiel was born on Tuesday, December 16, 1924 (age 79; at time of death). In Mumbai. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. Nissim began schooling at the Convent of Jesus and Mary and continued his studies at the Antonio de Souza High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilson College, Bombay University, in 1947. After graduation, he taught at Khalsa College, Mumbai for a year and worked as a freelance writer for several newspapers and magazines, as well as working for MN Roy’s Radical Democratic Party. Later, he moved to England in November 1948 to study philosophy at Birkbeck College in London. While studying philosophy, Nissim enrolled in evening courses on Chinese and Western philosophy and art appreciation at the City Literary Institute. He stayed there for three and a half years before finding his way home as a deck washer on a weapons ship bound for India and China.
family
Nissim Ezekiel belonged to Mumbai’s Marathi-speaking Jewish community, known as Bene Israel.
Parents and siblings
His father, Moses Ezekiel Talkar, is a professor of botany at Wilson College, Bombay, and his mother, Diana Ezekiel Talkar, is the principal of her school . Nissim was the third of his parents’ five children, three boys and two girls.
Nissim Ezekiel’s family
wife and children
Nissim married Daizy Jacob Dandekarand in 1952, but the two later separated. They have three children, a son Elkana and two daughters Kalpana and Kavita.
Nissim Ezekiel with wife and daughter Kavita
religion
Nissim Ezekiel practiced Judaism.
Signature/Autograph
Profession
literary career
Nissim began writing in the late 1940s. In 1952, he published his first book, “A Time for Change.” In 1960, he published another collection of poems, “The Deadly Man”. From 1954 to 1959, he worked as an advertising copywriter and general manager for a picture framing company. In 1961, he co-founded the literary monthly “Jumpo”. In 1969, Ezekiel published three of his plays, including “Nalini,” “Marriage Poems,” and “Sleepwalkers,” in the Writers’ Studio. In 1976, he collaborated with Vrinda Nabar to translate Jawaharlal Nehru’s poetry from English to Marathi and co-edited anthologies of fiction and poetry. The themes of his writing are tragedy and melancholy. His poetry is used in NCERT and ICSE English textbooks. His poem “Background, Casual” is considered the most decisive poem of his literary career.
art critic
He served as art critic for The Times of India for two years from 1964 to 1966.
edit
From 1966 to 1967, he served as editor of the magazine Indian Poetry.
teaching
From 1961 to 1972, he served as the Head of the English Department at Mithibhai College, Bombay. He also served as visiting professor at the University of Leeds and Pondicherry University in 1964 and 1967 respectively.
Awards and Honors
- In 1988, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India.
- In 1983, he received the Sahitya Akademi Cultural Award.
die
Nissim Ezekiel died in Mumbai on January 9, 2004, at the age of 79, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He died in a nursing home. The year of his death is considered a terrible year for Indian English poetry.
Facts/Trivia
- He mentored many young writers such as Dom Moraes, Adil Jusavala and Jeev Patel.
- In interviews, Nissim’s son spoke of how Nissim would share his literature with his wife and that many times, Nissim would incorporate her perspective into his literature. Nissim’s son said,
Dad often showed Mom the work he was doing. Sometimes, while she was cooking, he would read to her, and she would stop and listen patiently, sometimes encouraging him, though not entirely agreeing. I know Dad would actually rewrite his poem based on Mom’s reaction. “
- Indian writer and poet R. Rao wrote an authorized biography of Nissim Ezekiel in 2000, titled Nissim Ezekiel: The Authorized Biography.
Biography of Nissim Ezekiel
- Ezekiel visited Paris twice, in December 1949 and August 1951, where he wanted to settle. However, he later abandoned the idea.
- During his stay in the UK, Ezekiel worked for a year at India House, the headquarters of the Indian Diplomatic Mission in the UK.
- His favorite author is TS Eliot.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education