Vinayaka Krishna Gokak- Kannada Writers and Their Work (An Old and Rare Book)

Vinayaka Krishna Gokak, a distinguished poet, critic, educationist and administrator, is one of the makers of Modern Kannada Literature. His contributions to all the genres of Kannada Literature are signifi cant. Some hold that he is the precursor of Navya Kavya (Modern Poetry) in Kannada. Gokak, who has been awarded the Padmaśri title by the President of India, the Sahitya Akadami Award and the hono rary doctorates from several universities, is one of our national writers. He has participated in several national and inter national seminars and conferences.
Both in the fields of Kannada Literature and Indo-Anglian Literature, Gokak, with his towering personality, has etched his name with equal brilliance.

Dr. Shankar Mokashi Punekar is Reader in English, Karnatak University, Dharwar. He is a well known poet and a critic in Kannada. His novel Gangavva Gangāmāyi (Kannada) has been selected by the National Book Trust for translation into the other Indian Languages. In addition to his writings in Kannada, he is the author also of The Captive (1965), The Cycle of Seasons (1966), The Later Phase in the Development of W. B. Yeats (1967), The Pretender (1968), P. Lal (1968), An Epistle to David McCutchion (1971), The Indo Anglian Creed (1972), and The Later Poems of W. B. Yeats (1973).

For biographical material, I have heavily depended on the excellent festschrift Vinayaka Vanmaya (V.V.) edited by Dr H. M. Nayak and Sri Sindhuvally Anantamurti. The section on Prof. Gokak's English Writings first appeared in Banasthali Patrika and later in Indian Response to Poetry in English. I am grateful to the authorities of the Institute of Kannada Studies, University of Mysore, for having encouraged me to prepare this monograph for their distinguished series on Kannada Writers.

Kannada, spoken by about 25 million people, is one of the major languages of India. It is the language of the state of Karnataka in South India. Karnataka has an area of about 1,92,000 square kms and a population of about 29 million. It has made a unique contribution to the wealth of Indian Culture through its significant achievements in literature, in fine arts and in religious and spiritual realms.
Kannada people have their unbroken literary heritage of more than one thousand years. This heritage is very rich in quality, variety and volume. From the point of view of antiquity Kannada is next only to Sanskrit and Tamil in India. The earliest specimen of the language belongs to the fifth century A.D. The first available work is Kavirajamärga (9th century A.D.) which deals with poetry and poetics. No doubt, a fairly rich literature was existing prior to this, although the works of this period have not survived. The tenth century A.D. was the golden period in the history of Kannada Literature. The twelfth century A.D. was the age of revolt. A new literary form called Vacana, which is very typical of Kannada literature, emerged during this period. As a result of it literary usage came closer to the spoken word. Saint poets, epic poets, scholar poets and mystics have subsequently enriched the tradition.
The modern period may be said to begin with the advent of English in the 19th century. Modern Kannada literature takes its colour and tone from the contemporary life. It has been acquiring new dimensions from ever-growing contact with the literatures of other regions of the country and the world at large. Kannada Literature with its glorious past and rich heritage has great achieve ments. The literary products of the last half a century assure us of a great future.
This series, 'Kannada Writers and their Work', is designed to provide the student of literature and general reader with a brief introduction to the major writers in Kannada Literature. It is proposed to cover almost all the important authors of ancient and medieval periods also, although a beginning is made with modern writers.