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.