Biography of Maithili Sharan Gupt

(1886 - 1964)

Maithili Sharan Gupt is considered as one of the pioneers of Khadi Boli' poetry in Hindi. He was also one of the pillars of Hindi literature in the Pre-Independence era. He was the author of the first-ever epic in modern Hindi literature. He was born in 1886 when the Indian nationalism was gaining momentum.

Gupt's literary career lasted for 57 years. During these years he wrote over sixty books. His works comprise of forty-nine collections and seventeen translations of poetry and drama.

His most famous work is "Saket'. In 'Saket, the poet draws on the mythological tale of Rama, falling back heavily on Tulsidas' epic

Ramcharitmanas'. Also evident are the influences of Valmiki's 'Ramayana', Bhavabhuti's play 'Uttara Rama Charita', Kalidasa's 'Raghuvamsa' and the ‘Mahabharata' of Vyasa.

He was the only poet in the Independent India to be honoured with the title of National Poet.