HUMOR AND SARCASM IN SELECT WORKS OF NISSIM EZEKIEL (Pages 83-91) by Mr. K. Sivathanu Pillai* and Dr. R. Subramania Pillai** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Nissim Ezekiel (1924 – 2004) was an Indian poet, playwright, editor and an art critic. He was a foundational figure in the postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian writing in English. He is a renowned representative of Post Independent Indo-Anglian Literature. Though he was a Professor by career, he established himself as a literary man. Nissim’s main popularity was on his collections of poems. The humor and sarcasm of his poems were quite amusing for the readers. The credit for this appreciation was due to the Indian English with which Nissim described his themes. This paper “Humor and Sarcasm in select works of Nissim Ezekial” will touch on the works, The Night of the Scorpion and The Professor. This paper will be an attempt to analyze the humor and sarcasm in these poems. Nissim was awarded the Sahitya Academy Awardin 1983 for his Poetry collection, "Latter-Day Psalms", by the Sahitya Academy Award, India's National Academy of Letters. Ezekiel was appreciated for his subtle, restrained and well-crafted diction. He broke the general tradition of Indian English language poetry, by moving it beyond purely spiritual and orientalist themes, to include a wider range of concerns and interests, including mundane events, individual anger and skeptical introspection. He was honored with Padmashri award by the President of India in 1988.issim Ezekiel (1924 – 2004) was an Indian poet, playwright, editor and an art critic. He was a foundational figure in the postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian writing in English. He is a renowned representative of Post Independent Indo-Anglian Literature. Though he was a Professor by career, he established himself as a literary man. Nissim’s main popularity was on his collections of poems. The humor and sarcasm of his poems were quite amusing for the readers. The credit for this appreciation was due to the Indian English with which Nissim described his themes. This paper “Humor and Sarcasm in select works of Nissim Ezekial” will touch on the works, The Night of the Scorpion and The Professor. This paper will be an attempt to analyze the humor and sarcasm in these poems. Nissim was awarded the Sahitya Academy Awardin 1983 for his Poetry collection, "Latter-Day Psalms", by the Sahitya Academy Award, India's National Academy of Letters. Ezekiel was appreciated for his subtle, restrained and well-crafted diction. He broke the general tradition of Indian English language poetry, by moving it beyond purely spiritual and orientalist themes, to include a wider range of concerns and interests, including mundane events, individual anger and skeptical introspection. He was honored with Padmashri award by the President of India in 1988.Keywords: Playwright, foundational, post-colonial, irony, sarcasm, accomplished, mundane, subtle, skeptical