Kandanisseri Vattamparambil Velappan Ayyappan (9 July 1923 – 2 June 2010) or V. V. Ayyappan, better known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Kovilan, was an Indian

Malayalam language 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 ...

novelist and freedom fighter from

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 is considered one of the most prolific writers of contemporary Indian literature. In all, he had authored 11 novels, 10 collections of short stories, three essays and a play. He won the

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.

in 1972 and 1977 and the

Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

in 1998. He was also a recipient of the

state government's highest literary honour

Ezhuthachan Puraskaram The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary honour is given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Government of Kerala. The award is named after Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language and consists of a cash prize of 5,00,00 ...

in recognition of his outstanding contribution to

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...

. He had been a Fellow of the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and Malayalam literature, literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The academy ...

since 1997 and

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

since 2005.

Life

Early years

Kovilan was born in Kandanassery in

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

to Vattomparambil Shanku Velappan and Kotakkattil Kunjandi Kali. He did his early education at the Kandanisseri Excelsior School and Nenmini Higher Elementary School. He then joined the Sahitya Deepika Sanskrit College at Pavaratty at the age of 13. He attended classes of K. P. Narayana Pisharody, P. C. Vasudevan Elayathu, M. P. Sankunni Nair,

Cherukadu Cherukad Govinda Pisharodi (26 August 1914 – 28 October 1976), commonly known as Cherukad, was a Malayalam-language playwright, novelist, poet and political activist, associated with the Communist movement in Kerala state, India. Biogr ...

and Srikrishna Sharma. Even as a student, he had shown interest in writing poems and stories. A follower of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, Kovilan left the Sanskrit College to participate in the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

. That marked the end of his formal academic education. By the time he quit, he had written at least three novels.

Military life

He joined the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

in 1943 and was trained in Anti-submarine Detecting Operations. He served in Bengal sea,

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and Singapore. He quit following the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946 and returned home. While back in Kerala, Kovilan maintained a close friendship with

Vaikom Muhammed Basheer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as Beypore Sulthan, was a writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking, ...

Joseph Mundassery Joseph Mundassery (17 July 1903 – 25 October 1977) was a literary critic and Indian politician from Kerala state. He specialised in the Malayalam language and literature. In Kerala politics, he is remembered as the Education Minister who wa ...

and C. J. Thomas. He also took part in the trade union movements. In 1948 he passed

SSLC The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (commonly referred to as SSLC) is a certification obtained by a student on successful completion of an examination at the end of study at the secondary schooling level in India. The SSLC is obtained o ...

and worked for a while as a stenographer for Joseph Mundassery. In 1948, he joined the

Indian Army Corps of Signals Indian Army Corps of Signals is a corps and a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which handles its military communications. It was formed on 15 February 1911 as a separate entity under Lieutenant Colonel S H Powell, and went on to make import ...

as Radio Mechanic. He also specialised in electronics. For five years he lived in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. While in army, he came in contact with soldier-turned-writers

Parappurath Kizhakkepainummoodu Easo Mathai, better known by his pen name Parappurath (1924–1981), was an Indian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter who wrote in the Malayalam language. His body of work comprises 20 novels, 14 short story anthol ...

and

Nandanar Nandanar (also spelt as Nantanar), also known as Tirunalaippovar (Thirunaallaippovaar (The one who will go tomorrow)) and Tiru Nalai Povar Nayanar,Other names include: Nandan (Nanda, Nantan), Tirunalaipovanar, Nalaippovar, Nalaippovan was a ...

. He also worked as

National Cadet Corps National Cadet Corps may refer to: *Bangladesh National Cadet Corps * National Cadet Corps (Ghana) *National Cadet Corps (India) * National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) *National Cadet Corps (Singapore) *National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka) The Nation ...

training officer at the

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) Hindi: भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान कानपुर) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was ...

. He retired from the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

in 1968 as

Havildar Havildar or havaldar ( Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant, ...

Major and settled down at Pullanikunnu at Kandanassery.

Death

Kovilan died on 2 June 2010 in

Kunnamkulam Kunnamkulam is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur District of Kerala in India, spread over an area of 34.18 km2. It is an old commercial town, with an ancient history, famous for its printing and book binding industry. In the past, t ...

, aged 86.

Writings

Kovilan has written 4 novels—''A Minus B'' (1958), ''Ezhamedangal'' (Army Wives, 1965), ''Thazhvarakal'' (The Valleys, 1969) and ''Himalayam''—with military experiences as their background. ''Thottangal'' (Incantations, 1970), the first post-service novel of the writer, narrates the delirious memories of an old woman in the night of her death whose life was shipwrecked turning the dreams of her childhood into nightmares. His most popular novel was ''Thattakam'' (The Terrain, 1995). Kovilan's first collection of short stories was ''Oru Palam Manayola'' (A Measure of Red Arsenic). This book was published in the year 1957. The story ''Tharavadu'' (Ancestral Home) is included in this collection. Kovilan's other collections of short stories include ''Ee Jeevitham Ananthamanu'' (1957), ''Orikkal Manushyanayirunnu'' (1960), ''Oru Kashanam Asthi'' (1961), ''Vendam Kadi'' (1969), ''Thervazhchakal'' (1971), ''Pitham'' (1971), ''Shakunam'' (1974), ''Adyathe Kathakal'' (1978), ''Sujatha'' (1979), ''Theranjedutha Kathakal'' (1980) and ''Kovilante Kathakal'' (1985). A tele-serial based on his novel ''Thottangal'' was beamed on

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

. Some of his short stories also have been adapted for tele-screen.

Style and recurring themes

According to one source, Kovilan's works contributed to transforming a community bogged down by conservatism to one that was progressive and socialist in outlook. Poet and critic K. Satchidanandan notes:

Awards

* 1971:

(Novel) for ''Thottangal'' * 1977:

(Story) for ''Sakunam'' * 1995:

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 ...

* 1997:

Fellowship * 1997: A. P. Kulakkad Award for ''Thattakam'' * 1998:

Kendra Sahitya Academy Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

for ''Thattakam'' * 1998: Kerala Sahitya Parishath Award for ''Thattakam'' * 1999:

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 ...

for ''Thattakam'' * 1999: N. V. Prize for ''Thattakam'' * 2004:

Sahitya Akademi Fellowship The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India bestowed by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.Quote: "In his acceptance speech when India's National Academy of Letters (Sahitya Akademi) in 1997 conferred its h ...

* 2006: Ezhuthachan Award * 2008:

Mathrubhumi Literary Award Mathrubhumi Literary Award (also known as Mathrubhumi Sahitya Puraskaram) is a literary award instituted in 2001 by leading Malayalam daily ''Mathrubhumi''. A sum of 3 lakh, a plaque and citation constitute the award. The award is conferred as a ...

Bibliography

Novels

Novelettes

Short Stories

Play

Miscellaneous writings

References

External links

* http://www.dvaipayana.net/kovilan/ Kovilan Page at dvaipayana.net
The International Kovilan Study GroupKovilan Trust
(in English translation)

(in seven chapters)

(in English translation)
An appreciation of Thottangal by A. Purushothaman
(in Malayalam)

(in English translation)

(in English translation)

(in 15 chapters)

(''

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

'' article)
Annorikkal: Kovilan
(Documentary by

Manorama News Manorama News is a free-to-air Malayalam-language news channel operated and owned by Malayala Manorama Television (MMTV). The channel, based at Aroor, near Cherthala, Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of ...

) {{Authority control 1923 births 2010 deaths Respiratory disease deaths in India Writers from Thrissur Malayalam novelists Malayalam-language writers Recipients of the Ezhuthachan Award Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam 20th-century Indian novelists Novelists from Kerala People from Guruvayur