Mukkuttiparambil Achuthan (15 June 1930 – 9 April 2017) was an Indian academic, orator, and literary critic of

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 ...

. Known for his works viz. ''Swathanthrya Samaravum Malayala Sahithyavum'', ''Paschathya Sahitya Darshanam'' and ''Cherukadha Innale Innu'', Achuthan was a recipient of several literary honours including 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.

for

Literary Criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

and for Overall Contributions as well as the

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 ...

Biography

M. Achuthan was born on 15 June 1930 at Vadama, a small hamlet near Mala, in Thrissur district 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 ...

to Alakkattu Narayana Menon and Mukkuttiparambil Parukutty Amma. His schooling was at St. Antony’s High School, Mala after which he joined

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam The Maharaja's College is a government college of higher education located in Kochi, Kerala. Established in 1875, it is one of the oldest colleges in India. Located in the heart of the city, the college is spread over a campus of on the ban ...

to earn a master's degree in

with gold medal from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...

. Subsequently, he started his career as a lecturer of Malayalam at St. Albert's College. He also worked at a number of other institutions such as Government College, Meenchantha,

Government Victoria College, Palakkad The Government Victoria College in Palakkad, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the Malabar region of Kerala. It holds a rich educational heritage in the history of malabar region. It is affiliated to the Calicut University and p ...

and

Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College Pattambi Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College Pattambi (SNGS) is a NAAC A+ graded government college located in Pattambi of Palakkad district in Kerala, India. It is recognized as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ in the field of higher education b ...

before serving his alma mater, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, from where he retired from service as a professor. Post retirement, he continued his academic career as a visiting professor at

Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 in Kalady, Kerala. It provides education in Sanskrit, other Indian and Foreign languages, Social science and fine arts. It is accredited ...

and sat in the director board of

Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society (SPCS) or Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham is a cooperative society of writers in the south Indian state of Kerala for publication and sales of books. It was founded in 1945 by a group of twelve wri ...

. He also served as a member of the executive panel of

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 ...

and the academic councils of the Universities of

and

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

, managed Mathrubhumi publications and presided Samastha Kerala Sahitya Parishad. Achuthan was married to Radha, daughter of

Jnanpith award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

winning poet,

G. Sankara Kurup G. Sankara Kurup, (3 June 1901 – 2 February 1978) also referred to as Mahakavi G (The Great Poet G), was an Indian poet, essayist and literary critic of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the greats of Malayalam poetry, he was the first r ...

and the couple had three daughters, B. Bhadra, Nandini and Nirmala; Bhadra would later become the deputy Mayor of the

Corporation of Kochi The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that manages the Indian city of Kochi (also known as Cochin) in the state of Kerala. Municipal Corporation mechanism in India was introduced during British Rule with formation of muni ...

. He died on 9 April 2017, aged 86, at a private hospital in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, succumbing to age related illnesses. His mortal remains were cremated at

Ravipuram Ravipuram ( ml, രവിപുരം) is a region in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is part of downtown Kochi. It is also one of the wealthiest localities in the heart of Kochi. The area consists with multi-national comm ...

crematorium.

Legacy and honours

Achuthan started his literary career by challenging the views of established literary figures like

Kuttikrishna Marar Karikkatt Marathu Kuttikrishna Marar (14 June 1900 – 6 April 1973) was an Indian essayist and literary critic of Malayalam literature. He was known for ''Bharathaparyaadanam'', a critical study of the Mahabharata, which is counted by many a ...

and

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 was the first critic to write on the poetry of

Edasseri Govindan Nair Edasseri Govindan Nair ( ml, ഇടശ്ശേരി ഗോവിന്ദൻ നായർ; 23 December 1906 – 16 October 1974) was an Indian poet and playwright of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the major poets of Malayalam, Edasseri ...

. He authored a number of books including ''Paschathya Sahitya Dharshanam'', a critique of the philosophies of a number of western scholars. ''Cherukadha Innale Innu'', published in 1973, is a book that covers the history of Malayalam short story and short story writers. ''Kavithayuṃ Kalavuṃ'', ''Samanvayaṃ'', ''Novel - Prashnangalum Padangalum'', ''Vivechanam'', ''Vimarshalochanam'', ''Nirdharanam'', ''Swathanthrya Samaravum Malayala Sahithyavum'', ''Prakaranangal Prathikarangal'' and ''Vangmukham'' are some of his other works. He also translated

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

into Malayalam under the title, ''Ayirathonnu Raavukal''. Achuthan received the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Literary Criticism The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Literary Criticism is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing literary criticism. It is one of the twelve categories of the Kerala Sah ...

in 1976 for his work, ''Cherukadha Innale Innu'', followed by

in 1998.

honoured him again in 2001 with the award for overall contributions. He was also a recipient of the Sahitya Pravarthaka Benefit Fund Award.

Bibliography

Essays

* * * * * * * * *

Translations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Achuthan, M. 1930 births 2017 deaths People from Thrissur district Indian literary critics Malayalam literary critics Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni Academic staff of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam University of Madras alumni Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Malayalam-language writers Writers from Thrissur Indian male essayists