Ram Vilas Sharma

Ram Vilas Sharma
Ram Vilas Sharma
Born	10 October 1912; Unchagaon Sani, Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh
Died	30 May 2000 (aged 87)
Occupation	Writer

Ram Vilas Sharma (10 October 1912 – 30 May 2000) was a progressive literary critic, linguist, poet and thinker.^[1] He was born in Unchgaon Sani, Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh.^[1] In a career spanning nearly five decades, Sharma authored over 50 books. He was the recipient of many awards including the Sahitya Academy award, Bharat Bharati, Shalaka Samman, Vyas Samman, and the Shatabdi Samman just last week.^[2]

In 1939 he wrote a scholarly paper on Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', presented at a session of Hindi Sahitya Sammelan.^[1]^[3]

Early life

Sharma was born on 10 October 1912 at Unchagaon Sani of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh.^[4] He received his early education in his native village and at Jhansi.^[1] He went to Lucknow and gained his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in English Literature.^[1]

Career

He started his career as a lecturer at Lucknow University, and then moved to Balwant Rajput College, Agra, as head of the English department.^[1] He retired finally as Director of KM Hindi Institute, Agra.^[1] Basically a critic, he gave new dimension to biographical-historical criticism, and analysed linguistic and literary issues from a Marxist viewpoint.^[1]

Sharma died on 30 May 2000.^[4]

Works

His study of Nirala's Ram ki shakti puja, Tulsidas, Saroj-smriti and parimal is a model of creative criticism.^[1] He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1970 for his Nirala ki Sahitya Sadhana (in 3 parts).^[1] His massive work Bharat ke Pracheen bhasha parivar aur Hindi won him the first Vyas Samman (1991) instituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation.^[1] He was Socialist both in thought and deed.^[5]

Among the Hindi writers those who impressed him most, besides Nirala the poet, are Acharya Shukla the critic, Bhartendu the pioneer and Premchand the novelist.^[1] He took them up for detailed study and wrote authentic literary criticism on them, though from the progressive angle.^[1] He analysed their personality and brought out their contribution to Hindi literature.^[1] According to him Bhartendu Harishchandra, Premchand and Nirala are outstanding not only as litterateurs but also as men endowed with magnanimity of soul.^[1]

Assessment of Acharya Shukla

In his assessment of Acharya Shukla (Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi Alochana) critic Sharma emphasises the fact that the writer opposed feudal and courtly literature as it did not give a true picture of the life of the common people and contemporary society.^[1]

List of works

Bharatiya Sahitya ki Bhumika
Nirala ki Sahitya Sadhana (3 volumes)
Premchand aur unka yug
Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi alochna
Bhartendu Harishchandra aur Hindi navjagaran ki samasyayen
Bhartendu Yug aur Hindi bhasha ki vikas parampara
Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi aur Hindi navjagaran
Nai kavita aur astitvavad
Bharat ki bhasha samasya
Astha aur saundarya
Bhasha aur samaj
Parampara ka mulyankan
Bharat mein angrazi raj aur marxvad (2 volumes)
Marx aur pichde huye samaj
Ghar ki baat
Bharat ke Pracheen bhasha parivar aur Hindi (3 volumes)
Dhool
aitihasik bhashavigyan aur hindi
Pragati aur Parampara

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p Lal, Mohan (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. p. 820. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
^ "Died". India Today. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^ Das, Sisir Kumar (1995). A History of Indian literature. Sahitya Akademi. p. 908. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9.
^ ^a ^b Saha, Ranjit Kumar (September–October 2000). "Ram Vilas Sharma (1912—2000)". Indian Literature. 44 (5). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi: 158–161. JSTOR 23343450.
^ George, K.M., ed. (1992). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-7201-324-0.