J. B. Moraes

John Baptist Moraes (1933 – 30 December 2014) was a Konkani poet and writer.

Jonh Baptist Moraes was born in 1933 in a village called Kallamundkur (also known as Niddodi) near Mangalore.^[1] Mr. Moraes received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of Konkani poems Bhitorlem Tufan in 1985. He was the first Konkani writer from Karnataka to receive this Award. He received Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar in 1990 and Sandesha Prathistan Literary Award in the year 2000. He has written a monograph of the great Konkani poet C.F. DeCosta for the Sahitya Akademi under the series 'Makers of Indian Literature'. He has also translated History of Kannada Literature for Sahitya Akademi. As a journalist, Mr. Moraes has a long experience of over 45 years in working with the various Konkani periodicals.

Mr. Moraes was elected President of the 19th Session of the All India Konkani Parishad held in Madgaon in January 1993. Mr. Moraes was an instrumental in reviving the oldest representative body of Konkanis “Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Mumbai’, in 1992. He was its General Secretary since 1992. He was a member of the General Council and Konkani Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi. He was also Convener of the Konkani Advisory Committee of the Bharatiya Jnanpith.

Moraes died 30 December 2014 aged 81.^[2]

Poetry

NOVI VHOKAL, 1977 BHITORLEM TUFAN, 1984 EK DHENT, EK PAAN, 2002

Short stories

KOSHEDDAN KELLI KHUN, 1980

Biography

GEORGE FERNANDES, 1999

Plays

SOPANN-PARKI ZUZE, 2002

Verse

PUTIPHARACHI BAIL, 1990

Life sketches

MONGLLURCHIM UJWAL RATNA, 1983

Monograph

CH FRA DeCOSTA, 2001

Translations into Konkani

ROMEO-JULIET,1954 (Play) ONTYA NASHILLEM SOPANN,1975 (Novel) NOVEM POINN, WOO1 KANNADA SAHITYACHO ITIHAS, 1989 (Literary History)

Adaptations

NISRALLEAK LOTUN GHALO, 1976 (NOVEL) BOLPYAM MODHLI SHELI, 1977 (Novel) ZORLO GOMES, 1987 (Sherlock Holmes Stories)

Serialized epic poem

DIVYAMRUT, 1989

In English collaboration

HISTORY OF KONKANI LITERATURE, 2000

Contributions of articles

MASTERPIECES OF INDIAN LITERATURE, 1997

References