Viswanatha Satyanarayana

Born: 10 September 1895

Died: 18 October 1976

• He was a 20th century Telugu writer.
• His works included poetry, novels, dramatic play, short stories, and speeches, covering a wide range of subjects such as analysis of history, philosophy, religion, sociology, political science, linguistics, psychology and consciousness studies, epistemology, aesthetics, and spiritualism.
• He was a student of the illustrious Telugu writer Chellapilla Venkata Sastry, of the Tirupati Venkata Kavulu duo.
• He wrote in both a modern and classical style, in complex modes.
• His popular works include Ramayana Kalpa Vrukshamu (Ramayana the wish-granting divine tree), Kinnersani Patalu (Mermaid songs), and the novel Veyipadagalu (The Thousand Hoods). Among many awards, he was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1970, the first for a Telugu writer, and Padma Bhushan in 1971.
• The parallel “free-verse” movement in easy prose of Telugu literature criticized him as a bigot who hung onto the strict rules of poetry such as Yati, Prasa (rhyme), and Chandas (meter).
• However, this only covers a part of the wide variety of literature he created.
• At the same time, there was no contemporary in Telugu literature that could match the depth of the subjects he covered and his mastery of literature.
• A book with his memories compiled has been released.

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