Malayalam Writers

Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan

Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan is considered as the Father of the Malayalam language, because of his devotion to the language, his influence on the acceptance of the Malayalam alphabet, and his extremely popular poetic works in Malayalam. He was born in the 17th century in Tirur, which is within the Malappuram district of the state of Kerala. His true name is unknown. He is alternatively known as Thunjath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan or sometimes simply Ramanujan, but most often simply as Ezhuthachan. "Ezhuthachan" is a titled bestowed upon a great male teacher or schoolmaster(Ezhuthamma - female counterpart). It is also the name of a caste in old India, the Ezhuthachan (or sometimes Kaduppattan)

Famous work

• Keralolpathi
• Hari Nama Keerthanam - The song of the Holy Name "Hari"
• Ganapatistavam
• Devi Mahatmayam
• Kerala Natakam

Vallathol Narayana Menon

Vallathol Narayana Menon is one of the celebrated triumvirate of Malayalam literature; the others are Mahakavi Ulloor Parameswara Iyer and N.Kumaranaasan. Vallathol Narayana Menon is not only the most outstanding poet of Kerala but the preserver of the cultural tradition represented by the fine arts, notably Kathakali. Vallathol Narayana Menon, the eminent romantic poet of Kerala, portrayed through his Malayalam poems, man's determined struggle against social tyranny and orthodoxy and his indomitable will to freedom breaking all barriers of caste system and communalism. Through his writings he put social content in our struggle for national independence. Vallathol founded the Kerala-Kalamandalam and revived the great Kathakali dance.

Anand

Anand is an eminent Malayalam fiction writer and essayist, whose fiction reads almost like texts of high philosophy. His works do not conform exactly to any of the fictional forms currently in vogue.. Today, he is perhaps the most widely read living Malayalam writer as also the best-selling. Anand through his works has consistently tried to explore fundamental issues of power, justice and the human condition. A major recurring theme in most of Anand's works is the way power and its various abusive manifestations inflict torturous pain and suffering on common people. He is the most articulate voice in Kerala today, which questions the moral premises of politics and most importantly, resists religious fundamentalism. His essays and novels unmistakably establish a metaphor of resistance. Usually, Anand's narrative is linear, but in "Dimensions" he surprises us by charting a different path. Deliberately, he turns the story into a reflection on the art of writing a story itself, and wonders, "Who knows where the story ends and the essay begins?".

Famous work

• Alkkoottam
• Maranacertificate
• Utharayanam
• Abhayarthikal
• Asantham
• Veedum Thadavum
• Ira

M. T. Vasudevan Nair

M. T. Vasudevan Nair, one of the most respected Indian writers today, was born on August 15, 1934 in Kudallur, a small village in Palakkad district, Kerala. He rose to eminence through his well-crafted novels and short stories in Malayalam whose romantic poignancy and tender portrayal of the human condition endeared the author to his readers. He captured in subtle detail the pain and anguish that marked the ebb of feudalism in Kerala in many of his novels. A master storyteller, M.T made his way up to be honored with the highest literary award the nation confers on a writer, the Jnanpith in 1995. Prior to that, he had received many awards and accolades like both state and center Sahitya Akademi Awards. He occupied and continues to occupy many important and powerful positions in various literary bodies including the presidentship of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and the chairmanship of Tunchan Memorial Trust.

Famous Work

• Manju
• Kalam
• Nalukettu
• Asuravithu
• Vilapayathra
• Iruttinte Atmavu
• Olavum Theeravum
• Kuttyedathi
• Varikkuzhi
• Pathanam
• Bandhanam

Balachandran Chullikad

Balachandran Chullikad, one of India's most admired and respected living poets, was born on July, 1957 at Paravoor, a small town in Ernakulam District in Kerala. Throughout his school years, he devoted himself to poetry. By early adolescence his creative energy and poetic gifts showed in a poetry that displayed an unusual maturity and openness that questioned the dominant aesthetics which was saturated with romantic lyricism and conventional symbolism, and enabled the start of a free flowing subjective poetic tradition. Years before his first book of poems (Patinettukavitakal, 1982) was published he became the most sought after and quoted poet of Kerala thanks to the poetry festivals and university cultural functions that encouraged bold creative experiments by young poets. Nurtured in the grand epics of India as well as the canons of international modernism, Chullikad stands in the forefront of a generation of poets who wanted to invent a new poetic language.

Famous work

Balachandran Chullikkadinte Kavithakal
Ghazal
Pathinettu Kavithakal
Pranaya Kavithakal
Chithambara smaran

M. Mukundan

M. Mukundan, one of the pioneers of modernity in Malayalam literature, was born in 1943 in the former French colony of Mahe. Though he carved a niche for himself in Malayalam literature through his existentialist novels that heralded an era of creative anarchy in Kerala, Mukundan never ceased to experiment not only with themes and locales but also with form. Hence, he is regarded as a writer who appeals to all generations of readers. He is recipient of many national and international awards including AChevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government, Sahitya Akademi Award and the prestigious Cross Word Award. The Library of Congress has in its collection thirty-two works by Mukundan and two on him.

Famous Work

Kannadiyude Kaazhcha
KaikkumbilileVellam
Nagnanaya Thampuran
Oru Dalith Yuvathiyude Kadanakatha
Kesavante Vilapangal
Nritham

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 - 10 April 1999) was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to historic detail. He has written several novels and over 600 short stories. His most famous works are Kayar (Coir, 1978) and Chemmeen (Prawns, 1956; film adaptation, 1965). He was awarded the Indian government's highest literary award, the Jnanpith in 1984. Born in the village of Thakazhi, in Kuttanad, Alappuzha district of Kerala, he started to write stories when he was a schoolboy. His literary taste was nurtured by his high school headmaster Kainikkara Kumara Pillai (1900-1988) who exposed him to Indian literature. He met Kesari A Balakrishna Pillai (1889-1960) while pursuing his law studies in Thiruvananthapuram. He introduced Thakazhi to modern European literature and thought.

Famous Work

• Thottiyude makan
• Randidangazhi
• Chemmeen
• Enippadika
• Kayar