Maniyambath Mukundan, (born 10 September 1942) commonly known as M. Mukundan, is an Indian writer 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 S ...

. Many of his early works are set in Mahé (Mayyazhi) which has earned him the moniker, ''Mayyazhiyude Kathakaaran''. He is known to be one of the pioneers of modernity in Malayalam literature and ''

Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil ''Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil'' () is 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 peo ...

'', ''

Daivathinte Vikrithikal ''Daivathinte Vikrithikal'' () is a 1992 Malayalam-language film co-written and directed by Lenin Rajendran based on M. Mukundan's novel of the same name. The film tells the story of Alphonso, a man who chooses to suffer a slow, torturous lif ...

'', '' Kesavante Vilapangal'' and '' Pravasam'' are some of his notable works. He has received many honours including

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 ...

JCB Prize 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 ...

and the

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 Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languag ...

, the highest literacy honour of the Government of Kerala. He is also a recipient of the

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

of the Government of France.

Biography

Mukundan was born on 10 September 1942 at Mahe, then a French overseas territory and now a part of

Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: * Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India ** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry t ...

Union Territory in

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 terr ...

. Mukundan served as an official of the New Delhi office of the Embassy of France in Delhi. His first literary work was a

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 ...

published in 1961 while the first novel, ''Delhi'' was published in 1969. Mukundan has so far published 12 novels which include his later works such as ''Adithyanum Radhayum Mattu Chilarum'', ''Oru Dalit Yuvathiyude Kadanakatha'', '' Kesavante Vilapangal'' and ''Nritham'' and ten collections of short stories (which totals 171 in numbers till 2012). ''Adithyanum Radhayum Mattu Chilarum'' is a fictional story which dethrone the time from the narrative, it gives the readers a new method of writing. ''Oru Dalit Yuvathiyude Kadanakatha'' reveals how Vasundhara, an actress has been insulted in the course of acting due to some unexpected situations. It proclaims the

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...

message that martyrs are created not only through ideologies, but through art also. '' Kesavante Vilapangal (Kesavan's Lamentations)'' one of his later works tells the story of a writer Kesavan who writes a novel on a child named Appukkuttan who grows under the influence of

E. M. S. Namboodiripad Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad (13 June 1909 – 19 March 1998), popularly known as EMS, was an Indian communist politician and theorist, who served as the first Chief Minister of Kerala in 1957–1959 and then again in 1967–1969. ...

. ''Daivathinte Vikrithikal'' has been translated into English and published By Penguin Books India. In 2008, Mukundan's magnum opus ''Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil'' fetched him the award for the best novel published in the last 25 years. Three of his novels were made into feature films in Malayalam . He also wrote the script and one of them secured a state film award. His novel '' Pravasam'' (sojourn in non-native land) is the story of a Malayali whose journeys carry him around the world. '' Delhi Gadhakal'' (''Tales from Delhi''), a novel published in November 2011 is his recollections in India's capital city, New Delhi. Mukundan served as the president of

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The academy was inaugurated on 15 ...

from October 2006 until March 2010.

Awards and honors

Mukundan received

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

in 1973 for ''Ee Lokam Athiloru Manushyan''. This was followed by

in 1992 when '' Daivathinte Vikrithikal (God's Mischief)'' was selected for the award; the novel also received the ''N.V. Puraskaram''. He received two honours in 1998,

of the Government of France and the

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 ...

. He received the

in 2003, for '' Kesavante Vilapangal (Kesavan's Lamentations)'' and three years later, the English translation of '' Kesavan's Lamentations'' received the 2006

. The Government of Kerala awarded him their highest literary honour

in 2018. He also received the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is an honour of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), given to writers of Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Laksha ...

the same year. He is also a recipient of M. P. Paul Award. Mukundan received the

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 ...

in 2021 for his book '' Delhi: A Soliloquy''.

Works

Novels

* ''Delhi'' (1969) * ''Aakashathinu Chuvattil'' (1969) * ''Aavilayile Sooryodayam'' (1970) * ''Haridwaril Mani Muzhangunnu'' (1972) * ''

'' (1974) * ''Koottam Thetti Meyunnavar'' (1975) * ''Seetha'' (1977) * ''Kili Vannu Vilichappol'' (1984) * ''

'' (1989) * ''Aadithyanum Radhayum Pinne Mattu Chilarum'' (1993) * '' Kesavante Vilapangal'' (1999) * ''Nrittam'' (2000) * ''Pulayappattu'' (2005) * '' Pravasam'' (2008) * '' Delhi Gadhakal'' (2011) * '' Kuda Nannakkunna Choyi'' (2015) * ''Oru Dalit Yuvathiyute Kathana Katha''

Short story collections

* ''Veedu'' (1967) * ''Nadiyum Thoniyum'' (1969) * ''Anchara Vayasulla Kutti'' (1971) * ''Veshyakale Ningalkkorambalam'' (1971) * ''Thattathippenninte Kalyanam'' (1985) * ''Thevidissikkili'' (1988) * ''Kallanum Polisum'' (1990) * ''Kannatiyute Kaazhcha'' (1995) * ''Mukundante Kathakal'' * ''Nagaravum Sthreeyum'' * ''Pavadayum Bikiniyum'' * ''Russia'' * ''Thanner Kudiyante Thandu'' (2013)"Latest books by Mathrubhumi: Thanner Kudiyante Thandu"

Non-fiction

* ''Enthanu Aadhunikatha?'' (1976)

Memoirs

* ''Anubhavam Ormma Yathra''

Works translated

* 1999. ''

On the Banks of the Mayyazhi ''Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil'' () is a Malayalam language novel by M. Mukundan Maniyambath Mukundan, (born 10 September 1942) commonly known as M. Mukundan, is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Many of his early works are set in ...

''. Trans. Gita Krishnankutty. Chennai: Manas. * 2002. ''Sur les rives du fleuve Mahé''. Trans. Sophie Bastide-Foltz. Actes Sud. * 2002. '' God's Mischief''. Trans. Prema Jayakumar. Delhi: Penguin. * 2004. ''Adityan, Radha, and Others''. Trans. C Gopinathan Pillai. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. * 2005.
The Train that Had Wings: Selected Short Stories of M. Mukundan
'. trans. Donald R. Davis, Jr. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. * 2006. '' Kesavan's Lamentations''. Trans. A.J. Thomas. New Delhi: Rupa. * 2007. ''Nrittam: A Malayalam Novel''. Trans. Mary Thundyil Mathew.

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

Edwin Mellen Press The Edwin Mellen Press or Mellen Press is an international independent company and academic publishing house with editorial offices in Lewiston, New York, and Lampeter, Wales. It was founded, in 1972, by the religious studies scholar Profess ...

References

External links

*
Works and Reviews

Interview with M. Mukundan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukundan, M. 1942 births Living people Malayali people Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers Malayalam-language writers Malayalam short story writers Malayalam novelists Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Kerala State Film Award winners 20th-century Indian short story writers People from Mahe district Novelists from Puducherry 20th-century Indian novelists 21st-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian male writers 21st-century Indian male writers