Kirtinath Kurtkoti

Kirtinath Kurtkoti (1928-2003) was a renowned scholar, critic, playwright and translator who wrote in both English and Kannada. Born in Gadag, Karnataka, he pursued his education in Gadag and Dharwad. Kurtkoti began his career as an English lecturer, initially teaching in Belgaum and Pune before joining Vithalbhai Patel College, Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat, and later Sardar Patel University, Anand, Gujarat. Although he began his writing career with poetry and drama, his shift to critical writing was decisive. He wrote extensively in Kannada and occasionally in English. Kurtkoti served on several prestigious literary organizations, including the Language Advisory Committee of the Jnanapith Award, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, and Karnataka Sahitya Akademi, Bangalore. He was also an adviser to the renowned Kannada-language publishing house Manohar Grantha Male. After retiring in 1988, Kurtkoti lived in Dharwad until his death in 2003.