Dominic Jeeva ta, டொமினிக் ஜீவா; 27 June 1927 – 28 January 2021) was a Sri Lankan Tamil author. Jeeva was for a period of time forgotten as a writer. He first became known to non-Tamil speaking readers after a review of his

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

collection ''Pathukai''.

Early life

His career began as a beautician in

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...

, Sri Lanka. At that time, he was fascinated by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, and the policies of

Indian Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

. During this period he became acquainted with Tampo Rajagopal, who inspired him to read books, taught him to write and introduced him to other writers such as S. Ponnumdurai (author of the novel ''Sadangu''). Later, Jeeva leaned towards leftist political movements and spoke in

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

meetings. He wrote his first story while working at the beauty parlour. He stated that the "beauty parlour is his university" and often praised Rajagopal as his

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Career

Though without an academic background, Jeeva became one of the most prominent writers in the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

world. He was the editor of ''Mallikai'', a monthly

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

for more than four decades. ''Mallikai'' has been described as an important forum for the publication of progressive writing. The term 'progressive writing' was a euphemism for those with Communist leaning in the 1960s and 1970s. In their writings, these progressive writers attacked vehemently the linguistic jingoism of writers belonging to the Dravidian school. ''Mallikai'' promoted Moscow-based Communist writers during the

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

. In the 1960s Jeeva received a Sri Lanka Sahithya Academy Award. Jeeva was the author and publisher of many books and short stories. Jeeva established a publishing center called Mallikai Panthal.Dominic Jeeva page
/ref> He died on 28 January 2021, aged 93.

Bibliography

Essays

Biography

Other Books

Awards

References

Artscope
Daily News, 14 July 2004 * * *''Anubava Muththiraigal by Dominic Jeeva''

Notes

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20060424085953/http://www.sasnet.lu.se/EASASpapers/4AswiniMishra.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeeva, Dominic 1927 births 2021 deaths Sri Lankan Tamil writers Tamil activists Sri Lankan Tamil literature Sri Lankan Hindus