Benny Daniel (born 1971), better known by his penname Benyamin, is an Indian novelist and short story writer in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

from Njettoor,

Kulanada Kulanada is a village in Pandalam, that is located in the district of Pathanamthitta bordering with Alappuzha district in Kerala state within India. Kulanada assumed its name from the combination of words "Kulam" and "Nada". Kulam meaning pond ...

, near

Pandalam Pandalam is a municipal town in Pathanamthitta district Kerala, India. Pandalam is considered a holy town due to its connection with Lord Ayyappa and Sabarimala. Rightly recognised to be the ''educational and cultural capital of Central Travan ...

of the south Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. He lived in the

Kingdom of Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...

from 1992 to 2013, before returning to Kerala. ''

Goat Days ''Goat Days'' (original Malayalam title: ''Aadujeevitham'') is a 2008 Malayalam-language novel by Indian author Benyamin. It is about an abused Malayali migrant worker employed in Saudi Arabia as a goatherd against his will. The novel is base ...

'' (''Aadujeevitham''), his most famous novel, portrays the life of an Indian labourer in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. It is used as a textbook at

Kerala University University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

Calicut University The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to be set up in nor ...

Bharathiar University Bharathiar University is a Public university, public State university (India), state university in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Named after Tamil people, Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, the university was established in February 1982 under th ...

Pondicherry University Pondicherry University, also known as PU, is a Central university (India), collegiate public central university located in Kalapet, Pondicherry in Union Territory of Puducherry, India. It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 by the ...

and 10th standard for Kerala State syllabus. ''

Jasmine Days ''Jasmine Days'' is a 2014 Malayalam novel by Benyamin and translated into English by Shahnaz Habib. It tells the story of Sameera Parvin, a young Pakistani woman who works as a radio jockey in an unnamed Middle Eastern country which is on the ...

'' (

Juggernaut Books Juggernaut Books (informally Juggernaut) is digital book publishing house headquartered in New Delhi, India. The publisher emphasizes on short length books written by new writers. It also allows writers to self-publish their books through their ...

, 2018), translated by Shahnaz Habib won the inaugural

JCB Prize for Literature JCB Prize for Literature is an Indian literary award established in 2018. It is awarded annually with prize to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or translated fiction by an Indian writer. The winners will be an ...

, JCB Prize for Literature gives 25 lakhs to the winner. If the winning work is a translation, the translator gets an additional 10 lakh.It was originally written in Malayalam and translated by Shahnaz Habib, and is a "''brilliant and intense novel''", jury chairperson Vivek Shanbag (author '' Ghachar Ghochar)'' said while announcing the richest literary award in the country. The book tells the story of a young woman Sameera Parvin who moves to a middle eastern city and find herself in the middle of a revolution. It revolves around the Jasmine Revolution that sprang up in December 2010 and was quelled by January 2011.

Awards and honours

* 2009

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

, Winner, '' Aadujeevitham'' * 2012

Man Asian Literary Prize The Man Asian Literary Prize was an annual literary award between 2007 and 2012, given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year. It is awarded to writer ...

, Longlist, ''Goat Days'' *2013

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an international literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South AsiaNote: South Asia for the purposes of the prize is defined as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka ...

, Shortlist, ''Goat Days'' * 2015

Padmaprabha Literary Award Padmaprabha Literary Award for contributions to the field of Malayalam literature is instituted by the Padmaprabha Foundation. A prestigious literary prize in Malayalam, the award was instituted in memory of freedom fighter and socialist Padmaprab ...

* 2018

, Winner, ''

'' * 2018

Crossword Book Award The Crossword Book Award (formerly known as the Crossword Book Award (1998–2003), the Hutch Crossword Book Award (2004–07), the Vodafone Crossword Book Award (2008–10), the Economist Crossword Book Award (2011–13), Raymond & Crossword Bo ...

for Indian language translation, Winner, ''Jasmine Days'' * 2019

Muttathu Varkey Award Muttathu Varkey Award for contributions to the field of Malayalam literature is instituted by the Muttattu Varkey Foundation in memory of novelist Muttathu Varkey. The award was instituted in 1992 and as of 2012, it carries a purse of 50000, a c ...

* 2021

Vayalar Award The Vayalar Award is given for the best literary work in Malayalam. The award was instituted in 1977 by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust in memory of the poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma (1928-1975). A sum of 25,000, a silver plate and ce ...

, ''Manthalirile 20 Communist Varshangal''

Bibliography

* '' Aadujeevitham'' (''Goat Days'') (novel) * ''Abeesagin'' (a name from the Old Testament) (novel) * ''Pravachakanmarude Randam Pustakam'' (''The Second Book of Prophets'') (novel) * '' Akkapporinte Irupathu Nasrani Varshangal'' (''Twenty Years of Christian Quarrels'') (novel) * ''Manja Veyil Maranangal''(''Yellow Lights of Death'') (novel) * ''Al Arabian Novel Factory'', ''Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal'' (novels) * ''Euthanasia'' (''Mercy Killing'') (collection of short stories) * ''Penmarattam'' (''Ladies Sex'') (collection of short stories) * '' EMS um Penkuttiyum'' (''EMS and the Girl'') (collection of short stories) * ''Irunda Vanasthalikal'' (Dark Forest Places) (notes) * ''Anubhavam, Ormma, Yaathra'' (Experience, Memories & Travel) * ''Irattamukhamulla Nagaram'' (travel) * Manthalirile 20 communist varshangal (novel) * Shareera Shasthram * ''

'', translated by Shahnaz Habib (Novel) * ''Nishabda Sancharangal.''

Filmography

External links

*

*https://web.archive.org/web/20100617124142/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/english/news.php?id=91445 *https://web.archive.org/web/20120112023955/http://webmalayalee.com/portals/2010/11/15/benyamins-aadu-jeevitham-a-book-review *http://dawn.com/2012/10/21/review-goat-days-by-benyamin/ *http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-heart-of-arid-darkness/article4432339.ece *http://www.thehindu.com/arts/books/benyamin/article4336130.ece *http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/malayalis-on-the-man-asian-longlist/article4165824.ece *http://www.indianexpress.com/news/arabian-nightmare/980388 *http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/article1469429.ece 1971 births Novelists from Kerala People from Pathanamthitta district Living people 21st-century Indian novelists Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers Malayalam novelists 21st-century Indian short story writers 21st-century Indian male writers

References

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