Vishnu Prabhakar - Writing Style

Writing Style

Although mainly a story writer, Vishnu Prabhakar has written in almost all the genres of literature including poetry. Collection of his poems titled Chalta Chala Jaonga was published posthumously in the year 2010. He did not let himself limit to any special school of thought and it is reflected in his vast variety of works. Aawara Masiha, biography of Sharat Chandra Chatterjee and Ardhnarishwar, however remain the most awarded and widely acclaimed of his works. He was initially influenced by Munshi Premchand but later started following Sharatchandra. His works are said to be a mirror of modern Indian society.

Prabhakar's works concentrate on the problems of today's Indian society. In his drama, Tootate Parivesh, he writes about a modern family in which gaps between younger and older generation are increasing. His novel Koi To tells how corrupt politics has become in modern times.

Prabhakar was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's principals of non-violence. This can be seen in his writing very often. In some of his works, oppressed female characters talk like philosophers and even dacoits who usually are expected to have negative roles are full of humanitarian values. This is the reason why some critics labeled him as a Gandhian ideologist.

Prabhakar was also affected by many foreign authors. He had studied Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, O'Henry and O'Neill in-depth. In an interview, he said that Tolstoy's War and Peace had influenced him very much.

Prabhakar was very fond of traveling. He traveled for fourteen years continuously to collect material for his book - Aawara Masiha which is a biography of famous Bengali author, Sharatchandra. For this he had to visit all the places linked to Sharatchandra, even to Myanmar(Burma). His love of travels also resulted in many travelogues.