Nissim Ezikiel

Nissim Ezekiel Biography and Important Facts 

• Nissim Ezekiel was an Indian Jewish poet.

• He was born on 16 Dec, 1924 and he died on 9 Jan 2004.

• Birthplace- Mumbai

• He was an actor, playwright, editor and art critic.

• Born in a Bene Israel family ( small community of Jewish people who speaks Marathi).

• Critics call him father of Modern Indian English poetry.

• His father was a professor of Botany at Wilson College

• His mother was principle of her own school.

• Alma Mater- study B.A and M.A at Wilson College Bombay.

• He married with D C Jacob in 1952.

• He read philosophy at Birkbeck college university of London.

• He co-founded the literary monthly Jumbo in 1961

• In 1961 to 1972 he served as a HOD of English department in Mithibai College Mumbai

• He edited Quest, poetry India, the illustrated weekly and the Indian P.E.N.

• He wrote a regular column on ART for the Times of India

• In 1976 he translated Nehru poetry from from English to Marathi in collaboration with with Vrinda Nebar.

• He retired as a professor of English from the University of Bombay

• His poem Night of the Scorpion used as study material in Indian and Colombian schools

• Ezekiel's first book The bad day appeared in 1952

• His first collection of poetry time to change appeared in 1952

Awards-

• Sahitya Academy Award in 1983 for Latter day Psalms

• Padmashree in 1988

Critics On Ezekiel-

• Linda Hess- Ezekiel is a poet of the city Bombay

• K.S. Iyengar - the urban theme forms an important stream in Ezekiel poetry

• Ezikiel calls himself a poet rascal clown in his poem background casually

• Kaiser Haq- He naturalised  the language to the Indian situation and breathed life into the Indian English Poetic tradition.

Important lines from Nissim Ezekiel works-

• The Saint who told you once lived a life of sin- Hymns of Darkness

• my mother only said thank God The scorpion picked me and speed my children- night of the scorpion.

• The deep can hear the blind recover sight- Poet lover birdwatcher.

• I waked upon the night, I listen to the rain- a time to change

• What cannot be explained do not explain- Philosophy
• Home is where we have to gather grace- Enterprise 

Collection of Poetry by Nissim Ezekiel

• Time to change 1952 
• Sixty poems 1953 
• The discovery of India 1956 
• The Third 1959
• The unfinished man 1960
• The exact name 1965 
• Hymns in Darkness 1976
• Latter Day Psalms 1982
• Collected poems 1989
• Snake skin and other poems 1974 translation of the Marathi poet Indira Sant