Abraham Eraly
Indian writer (1934–2015)
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Abraham Eraly (15 August 1934 – 8 April 2015) was an Indian writer of history, a teacher, and the founder of Chennai-based magazine Aside.
Abraham Eraly | |
|---|---|
Abraham Eraly | |
| Native name | അബ്രഹാം എരളി |
| Born | 15 August 1934[1] |
| Died | 8 April 2015 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Madras Christian College[2] |
| Genres | History, Fiction |
| Subject | Indian history |
| Notable works | The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India's Great Emperors |
| Spouse | Sita Eraly[2] |
| Children | Satish Eraly[2] |
| Website | |
| Penguin India | |
Early life
Abraham Eraly was born in the village of Ayyampalli in Ernakulam district, Kerala on 15 August 1934.[1] He studied history at a college in Ernakulam and followed it up with a postgraduate degree in the same subject at Madras Christian College in Chennai.[1] He became a professor of history at MCC in 1971.[1]
Bored with the monotony of teaching,[3] Eraly resigned his professorship in 1977 and founded the Chennai-based magazine Aside, India's first English-language city magazine. Following financial difficulties, it closed in 1997.[4]
Literary career
Eraly's earliest publications were poems and short stories.[5]
Abraham Eraly in an interview with journalist and author, talks to Shreekumar Varma says:
History is about life. You can't invent even the minutest fact, but there is scope for visualising what had happened.[5]
His historical writing career started while at Madras Christian College.[1] Dissatisfied with the material he used to teach history, he began to write a series of books on Indian history.[5] The Gem in the Lotus covered its earliest period, while The Last Spring continued the narration to the end of the Mughal Empire. Eraly's style of historical story-telling made him particularly approachable for non-historians but could also be used as a reliable source on the Mughal period in India.[6]
Later life
In 2011, Eraly moved to Pondicherry, where he lived in Sarathambal Nagar.[1]
Abraham Eraly died at the JIPMER hospital on 8 April 2015, following a paralytic attack.[1]
Bibliography
Non-fiction
- The Age of Wrath: A History of the Delhi Sultanate, 2014, Penguin UK, ISBN 935118658X
- The First Spring: The Golden Age of India, 2011, Penguin Books India, ISBN 0670084786
- Gem In The Lotus: The Seeding Of Indian Civilisation, 2002, Penguin UK, ISBN 935118014X
- The Last Spring: The Lives and Times of Great Mughals, 2000, Penguin UK, ISBN 9351181286
- The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India's Great Emperors, 2004, Phoenix ISBN 9780753817582
- The Mughal world : life in India's last golden age, 2007, Penguin Books, ISBN 9780143102625
Many of his books were divided and re-published under different names leading to multiple titles. The Last Spring: The Lives and Times of Great Mughals was re-published in two parts: The Last Spring Part I (alternatively known as The Mughal Throne and Emperors Of The Peacock Throne) and The Last Spring Part II (alternatively known as The Mughal World).
Fiction
- Night of the Dark Tree: A Novel, 2006, Penguin Books India, ISBN 0143061836
- Tales Once Told: Legends of Kerala, 2006, Penguin Books India, ISBN 014309968X