Harekrishna Deka (born 1943) is one of Assam's contemporary writers whose excellence in multiple genres is well attested by his works as well by the influence he has had on generations of readers and creative practitioners—his assured style and manner of exposition serving as the bridge between the Assamese greats of the twentieth century and the innovatively inclined writers of the present. As a man whose professional career involved his service in Assam Police, Deka has now a substantial body of writings that showcase his intellectual bearings and adeptly reflect the transitional phase in contemporary Assamese literature. Although he began writing poetry as a hobby while working on the police force, he later quit to become a writer. He was the Director General of Police for Assam from 2000–2003.

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Poetry career

Harekrishna Deka is one of the most prominent poet-critics of his generation.^{[citation needed]} He started writing poems and short stories since his student days. He was one of the most prolific writers of Assam's Ramdhenu Era.^{[citation needed]}

He was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award for his poetic contribution in Ann Ejan in 1987, and he was awarded the Katha Award for his short story, Bandiyar (Prisoner) in 1995. After retiring as the DGP of Assam, Deka was the editor of the English daily, The Sentinel for brief period before serving as editor of the Assamese literary monthly Gariyasi.

Awards

He won the Assam Literary Award in 2010.

Bibliography

Poetry

• Swarabor (Voices) 1972
• Ratir Sobhajatra (Procession by Night) 1978
• Aan Ejan (Another One), 1986, also translated to Bengali and Oriya
• Kabita 1960-1980 (Poems 1960-1980), 2002
• Bhalpoar Babe Exar (A Word for Love), 2003
• Xanmihali Barnamala (Mixed Alphabets), 2010
• Sea-Scare (poems translated to English), 2001

Short stories

• Prakritik aru Anyanya (The Natural and other stories), 1900
• Madhusudanar Dolong (Madhusudan's Bridge), 1992
• Bandiyar (Captive), 1996, Also translated to Oriya
• Post-modern athaba Galpa (Post-modern or Short Story), 2001
• Mrityudanda (Death Sentence), 2006
• Galpa aru Kalpa (Story and Fiction), 2009

Literary criticism

• Adhunikatavad aru Anyanya Prabandha (Modernism and other essays), 1998
• Beekson aru Xandhan (Insight and Investigation), 2000
• Dristi aru Sristi (Look and Creation), 2006
• Nilamani Phukan: Kabi aru Kabita (Nilamani Phukan: the poet and his poems), 2010

Novels

• Agantuk (Strangers), 2008

Edited books

• Tarun Prajanmar Kabita (Poetry of the Young Generation), 2005

Translations

• Pratixarita Rashmi (Refracted Light). Translation of poems of Saint John Perse, Yanis Ritsos, Vasco Popa and Jaroslav Seifert, 1992

Social criticism

• Prabrajan aru Anupravex (Immigration and Infiltration), 2010
• Xarbabhoumatva, Xantraxvad aru Nagarik Xamaj (Sovereignty, Terrorism and Civil Society), 2010

See also

• North-East India
• Assamese Literature
• Literature from North East India

External links

• Official Website of Harekrishna Deka
• Indian Review: Harekrishna Deka Wins the Assam Valley Literary Award, 2010 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• An Interview with the Poet: Harekrishna Deka
• An Introduction to Harekrisha Deka’s Poetry by Prabhat Bora
• Harekrishna Deka: In discussion with Uddipana Goswami^{[permanent dead link]}
• INTERVIEW WITH HAREKRISHNA DEKA, POET AND RETIRED POLICE OFFICER, BY UDDIPANA GOSWAMI ON 20TH MARCH, 2006.
• Harekrishna Deka's Poems in Kavitayan
• The Prisoner - short story
• The Dawn (An Assamese Poem of Harekrishna Deka in Translation