Manohar Malgonkar

Manohar Malgonkar (Marathi: मनोहर माल्गोन्कार; 12 July 1913 – 14 June 2010) was an Indian author in the English language of both fiction and nonfiction.

Malgonkar was born into a royal family, and educated at Bombay University. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Maratha Light Infantry, a big game hunter, a civil servant, a mine owner and a farmer, and he also stood for parliament. Most of that activity was during the build-up to Indian independence and its aftermath, often the settings for his works. The socio-historical milieux of those times form the backdrop of his novels, which are usually of action and adventure. He also wrote non-fiction, including biography and history.

Malgonkar lived in a remote bungalow, at some distance from the town of Belgaum, Karnataka. His only child Sunita, who was educated at the famous Lawrence School, Sanawar, died in 1998.

Works

The list of works below is not complete.

Most of these works were published in India by Orient Paperbacks or by Rupa Paperbacks.

• A Teller of Tales
• Dropping Names
• Distant Drum
• Combat of Shadows
• The Princes
• A Bend in the Ganges
• The Devil’s Wind
• The Sea Hawk: Life and Battles of Kanhoji Angrey
• Chatrapatis of Kolhapur
• Puars of Dewas Senior
• Spy in Amber
• Shalimar
• The Garland Keepers
• Bandicoot Run
• Cactus Country
• A Toast in Warm Wine
• In Uniform
• Bombay Beware
• Rumble-Tumble
• Four Graves and Other Stories
• Inside Goa
• Dropping Names
• Garland Keepers
• The Men Who Killed Gandhi

For many years, Malgonkar wrote a weekly column covering a wide range of topics, which was published in Indian newspapers like The Statesman and Deccan Herald.

References

Padmanabhan, A., "The Fictional World of Manohar Malgonkar", Atlantic Publications, 2002.

External links

• Officers and Gentlemen, a 2000 article
• Picture of Manohar Malgonkar at Kamat.com