'Black Gold' fetches Sahitya Akademi award for writer Edwin D'Souza

“Although I have been writing since 1964 and received several awards and honours, the recognition by Sahitya Akademi, the highest literary award in India, is certainly a great honour,” said well known Konkani writer Edwin J F D’Souza.

His 450-page Konkani novel ‘Kallem Bhangaar’ (Black Gold) was chosen for the Sahitya Akademi award for 2016. Speaking to DH, D’Souza – who is also St Aloysius Konkani Institute executive director – said that he is elated.

The novel ‘Kallem Bhangaar’ deals with a middle class family amid the Gulf oil rush and based on life in Mangaluru and Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion. The clash between two families forces the protagonist to leave for the Middle East and he reaches Kuwait. The night the protagonist lands in Kuwait, the invasion takes place. The major conflict between Iraq and Kuwait results in a seven-month Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and, subsequently, direct military intervention by US-led forces in the Gulf war. In this war, the protagonist goes missing and is untraceable.

Earlier, the novel, published by Goa Konkani Academy, had won him the Vimala V Pai Vishwa Konkani Award and the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy best book of the year 2013.

D’Souza’s first short story in Konkani was published in 1964. Since then, he has penned 33 novels and more than 100 short stories, satires, columns, film reviews and comments published in various Konkani periodicals. His much-acclaimed short story “A cup of hot coffee” was published by the late Khuswant Singh in his anthology “Our favourite Indian short stories” (Jaico Books). A regular contributor to websites daijiworld.com and maaibhaas.com and NDTV story column, D’Souza’s short story “Chocolates” was published in the Reader’s Digest special edition in 2008.

The awards received by D’Souza include: Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Goa, 2013 (Best Book “Hanv Xiataum’), Dr T M A Pai Foundation, Manipal, 1992 (Best Book “Vinchun Kadleli Porza”), Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, 1995-97 (Best Book “Bethlehem”), Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy-Literary Award (1997-98) and Sandesha award for Konkani Literature (1998).

D’Souza was also chairperson of the 11th All India Konkani Sahitya Sammelan, 1992, held in Karwar.