Gopi Kottoor

Gopi K Kottoor (b.1956, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala,) Indian English poet, is in the words of the eminent poet-critic Ayyappa Paniker, ‘a poet who has discovered his own voice distinct from that of his ancestors or his compeers’. His poetry, known for its ‘rich visual imagery embalmed with feeling’ has won him accolades both in his home country and abroad.

Kottoor is perhaps best known for his work, "Father, Wake Us In Passing", a poem sequence on his father in coma, and dying. The German translation of this poem by the German poet Wolfgang Heyder (b.1956) appeared as a Laufschrift Book edition,Fürth,Germany,(Vater, wecke' uns im Vorübergehen')in 2004.

Gopi Kottoor won both the All-India Special Poetry Prize of the British Council-Poetry Society, India All India Poetry Competitions (AIPC) in 1997 for his poem "These are the things we could talk about" as also the Second Prize for his poem "Digging" in the General Category of the Competition in 1997. [cite web|title= All-India Poetry Competition, 1997|publisher= IndiaStar Review of Books, July 2004|url= http://www.indiastar.com/1997poetry.html |accessdate= 2007-08-25] Between 1995 and 1998, he won three more major poetry prizes presented by the British Council -Poetry Society India sponsored All India Poetry Competitions (AIPC). [cite web|title= All-India Poetry Competition, 1998|publisher= IndiaStar Review of Books, July 2004|url= http://www.indiastar.com/1998poetry.html |accessdate= 2007-08-25] [cite web|title= All-India Poetry Competition, 1995|publisher= The Poetry Society India 1995|url= http://indianpoetry.org/comp6.htm |accessdate= 2007-08-25]

Writing to him soon after he won his poetry prizes, the leading poet Jayanta Mahapatra,and editor of Chandrabhaga, who was also a part of the jury wrote to him saying

"You write exceptionally well.... My admiration grows for you for your poems".

Kottoor's poetry has appeared in a wide range of journals, including: The Illustrated Weekly of India, Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), Thought, Literary Half-Yearly, Kavya Bharati, Ariel(University of Calgary, Canada), Lipi and Chandrabhaga (Ed: Jayanta Mahapatra), Toronto Review, Plaza, Persona (Texas State University Journal). His poems have featured in the Special Editions on Contemporary Indian Poetry in English brought out by the poetry journals: Verse, (Seattle) USA)and Fulcrum, (USA).

Kottoor's plays include "The Mask of Death", a radio-play on the dying days of the Romantic poet John Keats in Rome, and 'Fire In The Soul', a play on the life and times of the Nationalist rebel poet of India, Subramania Bharati,which won the Bharati award in 1995.

Kottoor won the Philip McCormick scholarship of the Texas state University, Southwest Texas, USA and attended the Master of Fine Arts (Poetry) program of the University with a Teaching Assistantship in the Department of English of the University during the year 2000.

In 2005, Kottoor was Poet-in-Residence in the University of Augsburg, Germany, on a sponsorship by the Indian Council Of Cultural Relations,(ICCR) in association with Tagore Centre, Berlin, Germany. Kottoor was invited to read from his translation of the 15c Bhakti poet Poonthanam's Gyanappana (The Fountain Of God) at the University of Vienna, Austria, in the same year.

Kottoor edits a poetry quarterly 'Poetry Chain' and presently lives in Navi Mumbai, India, where he works with the Reserve Bank Of India.

Bibliography

* "Father, Wake us in Passing: A Book of poems" (A Poetry Chain Imprint) [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/br/2001/12/25/stories/2001122500220400.htm Review: Touching Recollections]
* "Father Wake Us In Passing: " [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/07/15/stories/1315017r.htm Review: Beyond The Confessional]
* "Father Wake Us In Passing(Guest Poet Readings at University of Augsburg Germany): " [http://www.interconnections.de/id_19020.html Comment]

Notes