Noted Hindi writer Krishna Baldev Vaid dies at 93

Noted Hindi writer Krishna Baldev Vaid has passed away in New York, USA.

Known for his experimental and iconoclastic narrative style, Vaid who was born in Pakistan, migrated to India after the partition.

An authority on British author Henry James, Vaid studied in Punjab University before completing his doctorate on James from Harvard University.

“He survived the horrifying carnage that accompanied the partition of the Indian sub-continent, and regards his involuntary transplantation to the Indian side of the border as his most traumatic existential experience,” reads his bio published by the Penguin.

After teaching English at various India Universities, Vaid moved to the US to pursue his academic career in the 1960s.

Vaid’s literary works have been translated and published in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Japanese and several Indian languages.

Vaid translated his seminal work ‘Uska Bachpan’ (1957) into English as ‘Steps in Darkness’. ‘Guzara Hua Zamana’ (1981) was translated into English as ‘The Broken Mirror.

Vaid worked as Professor of English at State University of New York, Potsdam, and after his retirement is best known for his translation of French playwright Samuel Beckett’s plays ‘Waiting for Godot’ and ‘Endgame’ (play) into the Hindi language in 1968.

He is survived by his two daughters – Urvashi Vaid and Jyotsna Vaid. Both live in the United States.