Goan literature is the literature pertaining to the state of Goa, India.
Goa has a population of around 1.4 million and an area of 3,700 sq. kilometres (1,430 sq. miles). For a small region, it has a significant amount of publication activity, possibly in part because its people write in a number of languages—perhaps as many as 13—and also because of the large expatriate and diaspora population of Goans settled across the globe.
Among its most noted writers are Laxmanrao Sardessai (1904–1986) and R. V. Pandit (1917–1990), both of whom wrote poetry and prose in Marathi, Konkani, and Portuguese; Shenoi Goembab (1877–1946), whose Konkani writing helped to establish Konkani as a modern literary language; Ravindra Kelekar (1925–2010), who wrote some of the twentieth century's foremost Konkani literature; and Pundalik Naik (born 1952), whose 1977 novel Acchev was the first Konkani novel to be translated into English.
History
Goa was the first place in Asia to have a printing press, which was brought by the Jesuits in 1556.A.K. Priolkar, The Printing Press in India: Its Beginnings and Early Development being a quatercentenary commemoration study of the advent of printing in India in 1556, (Bombay: Marathi Samshodhana Mandala, 1958). Nearly all of Goan literature before that time is known to have been destroyed by the Portuguese during the imposition of Inquisition. Goa's Portuguese colonial rulers can hardly be credited with meticulous record-keeping of Goan literature. Thus, Goa has had a long love affair with the written and printed word, although growth has been slow, and punctuated by problems like linguistic breaks and censorship.
In 1886, Tipografia Rangel, one of the pioneers in widescale publishing was founded. Prior to this the only existing presses were those of the government and individual family presses existing to print the political newspapers. Tipografia Rangel was among the leaders in providing print media and promoting literature to a larger section of society in Goa.
Peter Nazareth points out that Goans have written in thirteen languages, of which the chief are Konkani, Marathi, English and Portuguese. Nazareth describes Goans as 'cultural brokers':
Goans mediate between cultures, Goans live between different cultures, Goans are travellers from one part of the world to another. This, in my opinion, happened when East and West met in Goans under pressure with the Portuguese conquest. Since that time, our usefulness to the world, wherever we are, is that we can understand different cultures and help people from different cultures understand one another. The disadvantage is that if we don't work on it, we may end up not knowing who we are.
Literary writing in Goa began to take shape under Portuguese rule and influence, associated with Portugal's mid-nineteenth-century Regeneration, which saw the reintroduction of the press to Goa, along with expanded Portuguese education. A spate of Portuguese-language publications, 'such as A Biblioteca de Goa (1839), O Enciclopédico (1841–1842), O Compilador (1843–1847), O Gabinete Literário das Fontainhas (1846–1848), A revista Ilustrativa (1857–1866) and O Arquivo Portugués Oriental (1857–1866)', along with Júlio Gonçalves's Ilustraçao Goana (1864–1866), while often short-lived, provided new fora not only for the circulation of European literature (whether originally in Portuguese or in translation), but provided growing opportunities for Goans to publish literary and scholarly writing.Paul Melo e Castro. Lengthening Shadows. 2 vols. Saligão, India: Goa, 1556, 2016. I pp. 9–10 (quoting p. 9).
The first novel published by a Goan was Os Brahmanes (The Brahmans) by Francisco Luis Gomes, published in 1866.Ben Antao, 'Goan Literature in English', Muse India, 64 (November–December 2015), .
Later in the nineteenth century, vernacular writing began to emerge in strength, for example in Konkani, the widely spoken local vernacular. The Goan writer Shenoi Goembab (1877–1946) was foundational to developing modern Konkani literature.Kiran Budkuley, 'Modern Konkani Classics', Muse India, 64 (November–December 2015), . An official language of the region since 1987,Goanet Reader: Puzzle wrapped in an enigma, understanding Konkani in Goa, . Konkani is now studied in schools. Konkani literature emerged alongside the rapid growth of Marathi literature, in which the Goan R. V. Pandit was a notable exponent. S. M. Tadkodkar, who was conferred PhD degree by Goa University for his exhaustive research work on Anant Kaakaba Priolkar, contends that while the Kannadd language of Karnataka province was dominating the Goan culture, Marathi language and culture was embraced by Goans. Now, Marathi has embraced the Goans and would not leave them, willingly. Maximum literature is published in Marathi. There are 8 Marathi dailies published from Goa. Prominent among them are Dianik Gomantak, Tarun Bharat, Lokamat, Navaprabha, Pudhari, Goadoot. The Marathi daily Lokmat has the highest circulation (50000+) among all dailies.
In the late nineteenth century, extensive contacts with and migration to British-ruled India also encouraged English-language Goan writing, with early exponents including Joseph Furtado. Edward D'Lima, who has done his PhD on the Goan writer Armando Menezes, argues that Goan writing in English goes back to the late nineteenth century, when Goans were migrating out of this Portuguese-controlled colony in favour of jobs in the growing English-speaking British-ruled colonial world. English is probably the most influential literary language in Goa: 'a surge of creativity has erupted in Goan literature in English since 2000 in fiction and nonfiction, drama and poetry'.Ben Antao, 'Goan Literature in English', Muse India, 64 (November–December 2015), .
Goan writers
Besides English, Konkani and Marathi, Goans, particularly those of the past generation, have contributed significantly to writings in Portuguese. NameDatesPrincipal language(s)Principal formsNotesBen Antao1935-Englishfiction and non-fictionWalfrido Antão1950s-1980sPortugueseshort storiesCarmo AzavedoPortugueseNoted for From the Tip of the Pen (Ao Bico da Pena).Alexandre Moniz BarbosaEnglishSilviano C. BarbosaEnglishprose fictionHis novel The Sixth Night takes you from a typically legendary life in Portuguese Goa in the 1950s all the way to Toronto, Canada.Adeodato Barreto1905-37PortuguesepoetryFloriano BarretoUday BhembréKonkanishort stories, playsAlfredo BragançaPortuguesepoetryLuís de Menezes Bragança1878–1938PortuguesejournalismJosé Rangel1930–2004PortuguesePoetry Also proprietor of one of Goa's most prolific printing press and publishing houses Tipografia Rangel.Mário da Silva CoelhoPortuguesepoetryJosé da Silva Coelho1889–1944Portugueseshort storiesGoa's most prolific Portuguese-language fiction-writer.Alvaro da Costa PortuguesejournalismSuneeta Peres Da Costa1976-EnglishfictionAn Australian writer of Goan ancestry, noted for her novel Homework.Amadeo Prazeres da CostaPortuguesejournalismFrancisco João "GIP" da Costa1859–1900Portugueseshort storiesOrlando da Costa1929–2006Portuguesepoetry and novelsMaria Aurora CoutoEnglishprose fiction and criticismJoao da Veiga Coutinho1918–2015EnglishNoted for A Kind of Absence: Life in the Shadows of History.Nandita da CunhaEnglishprose fictionAnanta Rau Sar Dessai 1910Portuguese, Marathipoetry and radio theatreGoa's pre-eminent Portuguese writer in the mid-twentieth century.Vimala Devi (pseudonym of Teresa de Almeida)1932-Portuguese, Catalan, EsperantoPre-eminent literary critic of Lusophone Goan writing and a leading writer.Paulino Dias1874–1919Jessica FaleiroEnglishfictionSonia Faleiro1977-EnglishAgostinho Fernandes1932–2015PortuguesenovelsAuthor of a key post-independence novel, Bodki (1962).Caridade Damaciano Fernandes1904–1948KonkaninovelsA pioneering prose fiction writer in Konkani.Joseph Furtado1872–1947English, PortuguesepoetryShenoi Goembab1877–1946Konkaniprose fiction, translations António (J. Anthony) GomesEnglishprose fiction and poetryNew York-based writer of poetry: Visions from Grymes Hill and a much acclaimed novel, The Sting of Peppercorns, published by Goa 1556, Mirrored Reflection (a collection of poems) published by Goa 1556 & Fundacao Oriente, 2013.Francisco Luis Gomes1829–1869PortugueseThe first Goan novelist.Olivinho Gomes1943–2009Konkani, Portuguese, Englishpoetry, translations and criticismJúlio Gonçalves1846–1896Portugueseshort storiesMariano GraciasRavindra Kelekar1925–2010Konkaniprose fictionAmita Kanekar1965-EnglishnovelsViolet Dias Lannoy1925–1973Englishnovel, short storiesLino Leitão1930–2008Englishshort storiesbased in North AmericaFanchu Loyola1891–1973PortuguesejournalismOne of Goa's leading independence activists.Lambert Mascarenhas 1914–2021EnglishMargaret MascarenhasEnglishliterary fiction, poetry, essayTelo Mascarenhas1899–1979Portuguesejournalism, poetry, prose fictionDamodar Mauzo1944-KonkanifictionNascimento Mendonça1884–1927PortugueseThrough the Mythical Ayodhya.Armando Menezes1902–1983Dom Morães1938–2004Englishpoetry, belles-lettresPundalik Naik1952-Konkaninovels and playsWrote the first Konkani novel to be translated into English.Peter Nazareth1940-EnglishfictionA Goan writer from Uganda, noted for the novel The General Is Up along with literary criticism.Alberto de Noronha1920–2006Portuguesetranslations, criticismCarmo NoronhaPortugueseWorks include Contracorrente (Panjim, Goa: 1991) and Escalvando na Belga (Panjim. Goa: 1993).Frederick Noronha1963EnglishjournalismLeslie de NoronhaEnglishprose fiction and poetryEpitácio Pais1928–2009Portugueseshort storiesR. V. Pandit 1917–1990Marathi, Konkani, PortuguesepoetryMost celebrated for his vast poetic production in Konkani.Prakash S. PariekarPortugueseVasco Pinho1942-Floriano PintoPortuguesepoetryJerry Pinto1966-EnglishpoetryVictor Rangel-Ribeiro1925-Englishprose fictionLeopoldo da RochaPortugueseAuthor of Casa Grande e Outras Recordações de um velho Goês (Lisbon: Vega, 2008).Maria Elsa da Rocha1924–2007Portugueseshort stories, poetryAlberto de Meneses Rodrigues1904–1971Portugueseprose fictionAugusto do Rosário Rodrigues1910-?1999Portugueseshort stories. poetryManuel C. Rodrigues1908 – 1991EnglishfictionAbhay Sardesaipoetry, translationManohar Sardesai PortuguesepoetryLaxmanrao Sardessai 1904–1986Marathi, Konkani, PortuguesepoetryConsidered one of Goa's finest Marathi writers.Manohar Shetty 1953–EnglishfictionMelanie Silgardo1956-poetryFrank Simoes1937–2002Englishadvertising and journalismCarmo D'SouzaEnglishprose fictionAuthor of Angela's Goan Identity, Portugal In Search of Identity and other books. In a recent lecture, D'Souza himself traced the indigenous imagery, and the impact of Portuguese on Goan writing.Eunice De Souza 1940–2017Englishpoetry and fictionMumbai-based.S. M. TadkodkarEnglish, Konkani, Marathi poetry, research, theory, academicsAuthor of Goan Christian Marathi Vilapika During The 17th Century (2010); Professor and Head, Department of Postgraduate Instruction and Research in Marathi, Goa University.Savia Viegas1957–Englishfiction
Resources for and about Goan writers
Goa University institutional repository, languages and literature section The Goa Archives Fundação Oriente, Panjim-based Portuguese cultural body, which has helped some writers with small grants of a few thousand rupees. Goa University Library: It has a large collections in the languages of Konkani, Marathi, English, Portuguese, French. It has old manuscripts, microfilms and prints of the 17th century in Goa. Goa State Central Library, which is run by the Government of Goa, is the oldest library in South Asia. It has been one of the largest depositories of printed volumes pertaining to Goan languages and literature since the seventeenth century.
Goa Arts and Literary Festival