New book remembers genius of D R Nagaraj

Two decades after the culture critic’s passing, a collection shines a light on his body of work

A new book recalls D R Nagaraj’s contribution to Kannada literature and the tradition of Indian literary criticism.

‘Ananya Prathibheya Pari’ (The Ways of a Unique Talent) is a collection of writings on the life and works of Nagaraj, edited by Shivaraj Byadarahalli, assistant professor of Kannada at Oxford Degree College, Bengaluru.

Published by Ki Ram Prakashana, this is the first comprehensive work in Kannada on Nagaraj, known as DR among students and literary buffs.

The book explores his genius in 10 parts and includes articles by his teacher G S Shivarudrappa, classmates Narahalli Balasubramanya, Shudra Srinivas, Kalegowda Nagavara and Bharatadri, students M S Ashadevi and M R Kamala, writers P Lankesh and U R Ananthamurthy, poet-playwright Chandrashekhar Kambar, and critic G S Amur.

Shivarudrappa, the renowned poet, describes DR as ‘a glittering diamond’ among his students. Ananthamurthy calls him ‘a visionary of the Third World’. Lankesh’s write-up holds out the intellectual clashes he had with Nagaraj.

Nagaraj laid the foundation for a new, cross-cultural literary criticism and five write-ups in English throw light on his genius. Like poet and linguist A K Ramanujan, Nagaraj spoke about Kannada literature in English, in many countries, and brought global attention to this body of work.

His ‘Allama Mattu Shaivaprathibhe’ talks about 12th-century mystic Allama Prabhu’s vachanas and opens up new possibilities for the study of vachanas. He is also known for his books ‘Shakti Sharadeya Mela’ and ‘The Flaming Feet: The Dalit Movement in India’.

N Manu Chakravarthy, well-known literary critic and a close friend of Nagaraj, writes in the book that he “articulated a different understanding of society and culture, moving away from what the mainstream social sciences had done. Cultural criticism and the shifting trends in historical writings were his central concerns. He explained the past texts in the present context and, thus, gave a new dimension to modern thought processes.”

* Available for Rs 500 at bookbrahma.com and other bookstores.

About D R Nagaraj

Doddaballapura Ramaiah Nagaraj (1954-1998) was a literary critic, political commentator and expert on medieval and modern Kannada poetry and the Dalit movement. He won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award posthumously for his work ‘Sahitya Kathana’.

‘Need more books on DR’

Nagaraj’s wife Girija said, “I am happy that a comprehensive book has come out. There should be more books, discussions and deliberations on Nagaraj’s works. One needs time and energy to comprehend his writings.”