Marathi literature
[1] However, there is no evidence that the Yadava royal court directly supported the production of Marathi literature with state funds.
[6] The early Marathi literature was mostly religious and philosophical in nature,[7] and was composed by the saint-poets belonging to Mahanubhava and Warkari sects.
The Warkari saint-poet Eknath (1533–1599), the main successor of Dnyaneshwar, was a major Marathi literary figure during this period.
[7] Mukteshwar (1574-1645), the grandson of Eknath, too, wrote several works in Marathi including a translation of the epic Mahabharata.
It is written in a mix of Marathi and Konkani languages, and the first copy was printed in the Roman script, and tells the story of Jesus Christ.
Tukaram and Samarth Ramdas, who were contemporaries of Shivaji, were the well-known poets of the early Maratha period.
[12] Tukaram (1608–1650) was the most prominent Marathi Varkari spiritual poet identified with the Bhakti movement, and had a great influence on the later Maratha society.
[15] The British colonial period saw standardisation of Marathi grammar through the efforts of the Christian missionary William Carey.
The plays based on historical events linked with Maratha Empire begin with Bashir Momin Kavathekar's popular drama's 'Bhangale Swapna Maharashtra' & 'Vedat Marathe Veer Daudale Saat' which hit the theater in 1970s and then came epic 'Janata Raja' from Babasaheb Purandare in 1980s.
Prahlad Keshav Atre, the renowned satirist and a politician wrote a parody of this sort of poetry in his collection Jhenduchi Phule.
American missionaries started a Marathi magazine called Dnyanodaya in 1842 which denigrated Hindu religion but also had articles related to science and technology.
Some of its contributors included Mahadev Govind Ranade and Gopal Krishna Gokhale.In 1862, Induprakash, a bilingual journal, was founded in Bombay.
His major works are Don Dhruv (Two Poles), Ulka (Meteorite), Krounchavadh, Jalalela Mohar, Amrutvel.
Marathi drama flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, with literary figures like Vasant Kanetkar, Kusumagraj and Vijay Tendulkar.
The major paradigm shift [citation needed] in Marathi literature sensibilities began in the forties with the modernist poetry of B.S.
This radical movement was influenced by the philosophy of Babasaheb Ambedkar and challenged the literary establishment which was largely middle class, urban, and upper caste people.
The notable poets include Arun Kolatkar, Dilip Chitre, Namdeo Dhasal, Vasant Abaji Dahake and Manohar Oak.
Bhau Padhye, Vilas Sarang, Shyam Manohar, Suhas Shirvalkar and Visharm Bedekar are well known fiction writers.
[23] During this period, Maharshtra's traditional form of theatre 'Tamasha' saw rise of Bashir Momin Kavathekar, a prominent poet & writer who wrote Lavani & Vag-Natya for entertainment of rural masses.
However, his folk songs on the prevailing social issues like dowry, female foeticide, alcohol addiction, superstition helped in increased social awareness whereas his short-plays, street-plays promoted government initiatives towards sanitation, literacy, water conservation missions.
[24][25][20][26] Another major shift sensibility began in the nineties with the poems and criticism of Shridhar Tilve and the poetry of poets associated with Saushthav, Abhidhanantar and Shabadavedh.
In the post nineties, this 'new little magazine movement' gained momentum and poets like Shridhar Tilve who stood against postmodernism and nativism and poets like Manya Joshi, Hemant Divate, Sachin Ketkar, Mangesh Narayanrao Kale, Saleel Wagh, Mohan Borse, Nitin Kulkarni, Nitin Arun Kulkarni, Varjesh Solanki, Sandeep Deshpande, Vasant Gurjar who touched the new areas of post-modern life.
After 1950, several writers started translating classic English science fiction literature and also contributed independent work.
[citation needed] The modern Marathi science fiction took off after technology started playing a major role in providing a rich context for speculating about the future.
The modern writers are: Jayant Narlikar, Bal Phondke, Niranajan Ghate, Lakshman Londhe, Subodh Jawdekar, Arun Mande, Madhuri Shanbhag, Shubhada Gogate, Sanjay Dhole, D V Kulkarni, Arun Sadhu, Meghashri Dalvi, Sudha Risbud, Smita Potnis, Prasanna Karandikar, Ashish Mahabal, D V Jahagirdar, Yashawant Deshpande.
[33] Notable Dalit authors writing in Marathi include Arun Kamble, Shantabai Kamble, Raja Dhale, Namdev Dhasal, Daya Pawar, Annabhau Sathe, Laxman Mane, Laxman Gaikwad, Sharankumar Limbale, Bhau Panchbhai, Kishor Shantabai Kale, Narendra Jadhav, and Urmila Pawar.
