V. J. James is an Indian writer who primarily writes 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 ...

language. His first book, ''Purapaadinte Pusthakam'', was published by

DC Books DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...

as the winning work in the novel competition conducted as a part of its 25th anniversary celebration in 1999. His novel ''Nireeshwaran'', which explores the clashes between theism and atheism, won several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and Vayalar Award.

Life

V. J. James was born in

Changanassery Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. History The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

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 ...

, India. He attended St. Theresa's Higher Secondary School,

Vazhappally Vazhappally is a suburb of Changanasserry Municipality, Kottayam District, in central Kerala. The famous Vazhappally Shiva Temple is situated in Vazhappally. Vazhappally is a part of Changanacherry Taluk in Kottayam District. It is located in ...

and St. Mary's Higher Secondary School, Champakulam, before studying at St. Berchmans College, Changanacherry. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Mar Athanasius College of Engineering. He currently works for Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, as an engineer.

Awards

* DC Silver Jubilee Award * Malayattoor Prize (1999), * Rotary Literary Award for ''Purappadinte Pusthakam'' * Thoppil Ravi Award for ''Nireeshwaran'' *

Kerala Bhasha Institute The Kerala Bhasha Institute is an academic publishing house in India that was established on 11 March 1968 as a part of the fourth five-year plan. Twelve years later, on 1 November 1980, a regional center was set up in Kozhikode. It is located ...

Basheer Award (2015) for ''Nireeshwaran'' *Kerala Sahitya academy (2017) for ''Nireeshwaran'' * Basheer Puraskaram (2018) for ''Nireeshwaran'' *Thikkurissi award (2018) for ''Anticlock'' * Vayalar Award (2019) for ''Nireeshwaran'' *

Padmarajan Award Padmarajan Award (Padmarajan Puraskaram) is instituted by Padmarajan Memorial Trust in memory of author and filmmaker P. Padmarajan and is given for the best short story and best feature film produced in Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ...

(2022) for ''Velli Kash''

Writing

V. J. James has said that he observes everyday life closely, as it "helps him to narrate common man's life with authenticity". His novels are known for explaining serious subjects in simple language.

Published works

Novels

* 1999 - ''Purappadinte Pusthakam'' (പുറപ്പാടിന്റെ പുസ്തകം) * 2002 - ''Chorashasthram'' (ചോരശാസ്ത്രം) * 2005 - ''Dathapaharam'' (ദത്താപഹാരം) * 2006 - ''Leyka'' (ലെയ്ക) * 2013 - ''Ottakkaalan Kakka'' (ഒറ്റക്കാലൻ കാക്ക) * 2014 - ''Nireeshwaran'' (നിരീശ്വരൻ) * 2018 - ''Anticlock'' (ആന്റിക്ലോക്ക്)

Short story collections

* ''Shavangalil Pathinaraman'' (ശവങ്ങളിൽ പതിനാറാമൻ) * ''Bhoomiyilekkulla thurumbicha Vathayanangal'' (ഭൂമിയിലേക്കുള്ള തുരുമ്പിച്ച വാതായനങ്ങൾ) * ''Vyakulamathavinte Kannadikkoodu'' (വ്യാകുലമാതാവിന്റെ കണ്ണാടിക്കൂട്) * ''Pranayopanishath'' (പ്രണയോപനിഷത്ത്) *''VJ James kathakal'' ''

Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol ''Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language domestic drama film directed by Jibu Jacob and written by M. Sindhuraj. It is loosely based on the Malayalam short story "Pranayopanishath" by V. J. James. Produced an ...

'', a 2017 Malayalam family drama film directed by

Jibu Jacob Jibu Jacob is an Indian cinematographer and director working in Malayalam film industry. He debuted as a cinematographer in 2002 with the crime film '' Stop Violence''. After a decade long career as a cinematographer, he made his debut as a d ...

, written by Sindhu Raj, and starring

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...

and Meena, is loosely based on James' Malayalam

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

''Pranayopanishath'' (പ്രണയോപനിഷത്ത്).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, V J Malayalam novelists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Changanassery Novelists from Kerala Engineers from Kerala Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists Indian mechanical engineers Indian Space Research Organisation people 20th-century Indian engineers 20th-century Indian male writers