Amar Kant is a noted writer of Hindi literature most popular for the work - Inhin Hathiyaron (Novel). This novel earned him Kendra Sahitya Academy Awards in 2007. His short stories like 'Hatiyare', 'Dopahar ka Bhojan' and 'Diptee Kalaktari' are added to syllabus of various universities. When Jnanpith awards for the year 2009 and 2010 were declared in 2011 by Jnanpith award winner Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra, Amar Kant too was selected. He was given Jnanpith for the year 2009 along with Sri Lal Sukla for his contributions to Hindi literature. He was born on 1 July 1925 in Balliya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Amarkant is best known for his short stories although he also published six novels. His short stories, such as Deputy Collectory, Dopahar ka Bhojan (The Lunch), Zindagi aur Jonk (Life and the Leech) and Hatyaare (The Assassins), are considered milestones in post-Independence fiction. He started writing in a period when the Nai Kahani (New Story) movement was heralding a big thematic and structural shift, and almost overshadowed the tradition of Premchand which used to be the mainstream fiction in Hindi. This movement focussed more on urban settings, individual characteristics, man-woman relationships, and so on, in place of people in villages and small towns. The scene was dominated by authors such as Mohan Rakesh, Kamaleshwar and Rajendra Yadav, aggressive advocates of the movement as a new metaphor for and of modern society.