Jose da Silva Coelho

About Jose da Silva Coelho

José da Silva Coelho was born in Margão in 1889. After attending the lyceum in Panjim and pursuing private law studies he became a public notary, working at first as an assistant to his father (also a notary public), then on a posting to Damão, and then in Bicholim in the Novas Conquistas, where he worked for the rest of his life. He was a keen hunter and spoke fluent Konkani, and 'was apparently something of a dandy and an epicurean'. He never married. Silva Coelho published around 40 stories in the 'Regional Tales’ series) between 1922 and 1927, as well as scores of other texts under a variety of titles. His work ‘was something of a succès de scandale in Goa, being enormously popular amongst the reading public whilst provoking outrage amongst individuals who recognised themselves in the author's characters. The series went on to inspire a host of local epigones, less talented imitators, in the local press' (Devi and Seabra, 1973). Though largely forgotten today, Silva Coelho seems to have influenced a number of subsequent Goan writers, including Ananta Rau Sar Dessai, Vimala Devi, and Augusto do Rosário Rodrigues.