(1912-10-10)10 October 1912 Unchagaon Sani, Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh
Died
30 May 2000(2000-05-30) (aged 87)
Occupation
Writer
Ram Vilas Sharma (10 October 1912 – 30 May 2000) was a progressive literary critic, linguist, poet and thinker.[1] He was born in Unchgaon Sani, Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh.[1] In a career spanning nearly five decades, Sharma authored over 50 books. He was the recipient of many awards including the Sahitya Academy award, Bharat Bharati, Shalaka Samman, Vyas Samman, and the Shatabdi Samman just last week.[2]
Sharma was born on 10 October 1912 at Unchagaon Sani of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh.[4] He received his early education in his native village and at Jhansi.[1] He went to Lucknow and gained his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in English Literature.[1]
He started his career as a lecturer at Lucknow University, and then moved to Balwant Rajput College, Agra, as head of the English department.[1] He retired finally as Director of KM Hindi Institute, Agra.[1] Basically a critic, he gave new dimension to biographical-historical criticism, and analysed linguistic and literary issues from a Marxist viewpoint.[1]
His study of Nirala's Ram ki shakti puja, Tulsidas, Saroj-smriti and parimal is a model of creative criticism.[1] He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1970 for his Nirala ki Sahitya Sadhana (in 3 parts).[1] His massive work Bharat ke Pracheen bhasha parivar aur Hindi won him the first Vyas Samman (1991) instituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation.[1] He was Socialist both in thought and deed.[5]
In his assessment of Acharya Shukla (Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi Alochana) critic Sharma emphasises the fact that the writer opposed feudal and courtly literature as it did not give a true picture of the life of the common people and contemporary society.[1]