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Joy Goswami
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Joy Goswami
Joy Goswami (/dʒɔe̯ ɡoʃwami/ goh-SHWAH-mee; born 10 November 1954) is an Indian poet, novelist, and short story writer. Goswami writes in Bengali and is widely considered as one of the most important poets in the post-Jibanananda Das era of Bengali poetry. His work addresses ordinary lives, marriage struggles, relationships with women, and the act of writing. He is lauded for his linguistically inventive poetry, its semi-abstract imagery, and strong lyrical appeal.
Goswami’s work is acclaimed in Bengal and India but remains obscure abroad, despite some translations by the 1981 Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann. His poetry collections, short stories and novels have won several awards, including two Ananda Puraskar, the 1997 Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi Award for Bajra Bidyut Bharti Khata, the 2000 Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry collection Pagali Tomar Sange (Crazy girl, with you), the 2012 Banga Bibhushan, the 2017 Moortidevi Award for Du Dondo Phowara Matro
In 1976, he joined Desh as a staff writer and later served as the magazine's poetry editor until leaving for Sangbad Pratidin in 2007. In addition to his literary works, his interests include aphorisms on art, theatre, Indian classical music, letters, and cricket.
Joy Goswami was born on November 10, 1954, in Kolkata. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Ranaghat, a town beside the Churni River in Nadia. His father, Madhu Goswami, was a well-known freedom fighter in the area. His mother, Sabita Goswami, worked as a school teacher. At the age of eight, he lost his father and was raised by his mother. Joy attended Ranaghat High School but dropped out from his courses in class 11.
As a quiet kid, Joy kept a journal. One day, his brother found it and read his poems out loud to friends, humiliating him. He decided to stop writing but later changed his mind. To protect his thoughts, he wrote in a way that would confuse anyone who tried to read them. He said, “There was this simultaneous process of trying to give vent to my thoughts as well as an attitude of trying to hide what I was trying to express. That is what I would call the birth of metaphor.” Thus at 13, he wrote his first poem about the ceiling fan in his room.
His poem was first published at 19 in three magazines: Simanta Sikha, Paddokhep, and Homsikha. For the next 15–16 years, he wrote extensively for little magazines.
His first poetry collection, Christmas o Sheeter Sonnetguchcho, was published in 1976 with only eight poems. He financed the publication with 145 INR, borrowed from his mother. His first poem in Desh appeared in 1976. In 1978, he again relied on his mother's support to publish his second book, Pratnjiv. His third collection, Aleya Hrod, was published in 1981 after poet Shankha Ghosh helped him find a publisher.
After thirty years in Ranaghat, he returned to Kolkata where he has continued to live ever since.
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Joy Goswami
Joy Goswami (/dʒɔe̯ ɡoʃwami/ goh-SHWAH-mee; born 10 November 1954) is an Indian poet, novelist, and short story writer. Goswami writes in Bengali and is widely considered as one of the most important poets in the post-Jibanananda Das era of Bengali poetry. His work addresses ordinary lives, marriage struggles, relationships with women, and the act of writing. He is lauded for his linguistically inventive poetry, its semi-abstract imagery, and strong lyrical appeal.
Goswami’s work is acclaimed in Bengal and India but remains obscure abroad, despite some translations by the 1981 Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann. His poetry collections, short stories and novels have won several awards, including two Ananda Puraskar, the 1997 Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi Award for Bajra Bidyut Bharti Khata, the 2000 Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry collection Pagali Tomar Sange (Crazy girl, with you), the 2012 Banga Bibhushan, the 2017 Moortidevi Award for Du Dondo Phowara Matro
In 1976, he joined Desh as a staff writer and later served as the magazine's poetry editor until leaving for Sangbad Pratidin in 2007. In addition to his literary works, his interests include aphorisms on art, theatre, Indian classical music, letters, and cricket.
Joy Goswami was born on November 10, 1954, in Kolkata. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Ranaghat, a town beside the Churni River in Nadia. His father, Madhu Goswami, was a well-known freedom fighter in the area. His mother, Sabita Goswami, worked as a school teacher. At the age of eight, he lost his father and was raised by his mother. Joy attended Ranaghat High School but dropped out from his courses in class 11.
As a quiet kid, Joy kept a journal. One day, his brother found it and read his poems out loud to friends, humiliating him. He decided to stop writing but later changed his mind. To protect his thoughts, he wrote in a way that would confuse anyone who tried to read them. He said, “There was this simultaneous process of trying to give vent to my thoughts as well as an attitude of trying to hide what I was trying to express. That is what I would call the birth of metaphor.” Thus at 13, he wrote his first poem about the ceiling fan in his room.
His poem was first published at 19 in three magazines: Simanta Sikha, Paddokhep, and Homsikha. For the next 15–16 years, he wrote extensively for little magazines.
His first poetry collection, Christmas o Sheeter Sonnetguchcho, was published in 1976 with only eight poems. He financed the publication with 145 INR, borrowed from his mother. His first poem in Desh appeared in 1976. In 1978, he again relied on his mother's support to publish his second book, Pratnjiv. His third collection, Aleya Hrod, was published in 1981 after poet Shankha Ghosh helped him find a publisher.
After thirty years in Ranaghat, he returned to Kolkata where he has continued to live ever since.
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