Nalapat Narayana Menon (7 October 1887 – 31 October 1954) was a

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 ...

author from

Kerala state 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 Cana ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

. His oeuvre consists of poems, plays and translations. His best known works include ''Paavangal'', a translation of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', and the elegy ''Kannuneerthulli''.

Early life

He was born in

Punnayurkulam Punnyurkulam is a village in Thrissur district of Kerala, the southwestern state of India. Location The village is located 10 km north west to the world-famous temple town Guruvayur along the Guruvayur-Ponnani state highway. History Pu ...

, Ponnani taluk in

South Malabar South Malabar refers to a geographical area of the southwestern coast of India covering some parts of the present-day Kerala. South Malabar covers the regions included in present-day Kozhikode Tehsil, taluk of Kozhikode district, the whole area o ...

on 7 October 1887. He obtained English education from

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 ...

, Trichur 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 ...

. While he was 18, he met poet

Vallathol Vallathol is an Indian Malayalam name that may refer to *Vallathol Narayana Menon (1878–1958), Malayalam poet **Vallathol Award ** Vallathol Museum in Thrissur District, India **Vallathol Nagar railway station in Thrissur District, India *Vallath ...

and became his chief companion.

Literary career

Vallathol's influence is obvious in his early poems. He was also influenced by

Robert G. Ingersoll Robert Green Ingersoll (; August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899), nicknamed "the Great Agnostic", was an American lawyer, writer, and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought, who campaigned in defense of agnosticism. Personal life Robert Inge ...

and was an atheist for most of his youth. Later he developed strong interest in

Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...

and religion and was influenced by the ideas of

Dayananda Saraswati Dayanand Saraswati () (born Mool Shankar Tiwari; 2 February 1824 – 30 October 1883) also known as Maharshi Dayanand is an Indian philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. His Magnum Opus is the bo ...

and

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

. Most of his early prose works were on subjects related to

. His most famous poem ''Kannuneerthulli'' (Tear Drop) was an

elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

written after the death of his wife. ''Paavangal'', a translation of

's ''

'', was a milestone in the history 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 ...

and it set off a social reformation of sorts in Kerala. Despite being a translation, it gifted Malayalam a new prose style. Literary critic

M. Leelavathy Mundanat Leelavathy (born 16 September 1927) is a Malayalam writer, literary critic, and educationist. She taught at various colleges in Kerala before retiring as Principal from Government Brennen College, Thalassery. During her long literary c ...

notes: "The translation was an extraordinary phenomenon as it prepared the ground for the Communist movement to take roots in Kerala. With its philosophy of human equality, the heart-wrenching tale of the oppressed left a profound impact in our society. For E.M.S. Namboodiripad, this was Nalapatan's best work. Its influence was both sociological and philological."

Personal life

Nalapat was the uncle of poet

Balamani Amma Nalapat Balamani Amma (19 July 1909 – 29 September 2004) was an Indian poet who wrote in Malayalam. ''Amma'' (Mother), ''Muthassi'' (Grandmother), and ''Mazhuvinte Katha'' (The story of the Axe) are some of her well-known works. She ...

and the grand uncle of renowned writer

Kamala Surayya Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity ...

(Madhavikutty or Kamala Das) and Dr. Suvarna Nalapt, writer and music therapy researcher. He is fondly referred to as ''Valiyammavan'' by Madhavikutty in her books such as ''Neermathalam Pootha Kaalam''. ''Lokantharangalil'' was an elegy by Balamani Amma on the death of Nalapat Narayana Menon.

Works

Poetry

* ''Kannuneerthulli'' * ''Chakravalam'' * ''Daivagathi Ottanthullal'' * ''Nalappattinte Padyakrithikal'' * ''Pulakankuram'' * ''Pukayila Mahatmyam Kilippattu'' * ''Lokam'' * ''Sulochana''

Play

* ''Sapatnyam'' * ''Veshu Ammayude Vishari''

Others

* ''Arshajnanam'' * ''Gurusannidhi'' * ''

'' * ''Valmiki Prashnam'' * ''

Vallathol Narayana Menon Vallathol Narayana Menon (Malayalam: വള്ളത്തോൾ നാരായണ മേനോൻ) (16 October 1878 – 13 March 1958) was a Malayalam poet and one of the triumvirate of modern Malayalam poetry, along with Asan and Ulloor ...

'' * ''Nimitha Sastram'' * ''Rathi Samrajyam'' * ''Paavangal'' (Translation) * ''Pourasthyadeepam'' (Translation)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Nalapat Narayana 1887 births 1954 deaths Malayali people Indian male dramatists and playwrights Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian translators Malayalam-language writers Malayalam poets 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights People from Thrissur district Poets from Kerala Indian male poets 20th-century Indian poets Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers