Malayalam Fiction

Prose arrived on the Malayalam Literature arena at a much later date. The commingling of the lay persons’ language and the elite languages like Tamil and Sanskrit gave birth to Malayalam prose. Works comprising valuable guidelines like Doota Vaakyam belonging to the Koodiyaattam and others like Aattaprakaaram and Krama Deepika are important landmarks in the history of Malayalam prose. The language employed is lucid. The Brahmaanda Puraanam, traced back to the fourteenth century, the prose translation of Bhagvat Gita and Uttara Ramayana paved the way for modern prose writing. A.R. Rajaraja Varma(1863-1918) penned Kerala Paanineeyan, a famous grammar composition, which is hailed as a masterpiece of grammar and considered an important work of prose. The arrival of the newspapers gave boost to the growth of the nascent Malayalam prose.

The birth of prose gave rise to the Malayalam novel. The society and the culture provided fodder to the Malayalam novelists. The deeply entrenched caste system, the life of the minority communities, themes dealing with traveling, the impact of Christianity, the study of the mind, novels reliving the feudalistic era, the emerging and path breaking changes- the novels traversed the entire gamut.

Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar, C.V. Raman Pillai(1858-1922) and O.Chandu Menon(1847-1900) are the cult figures of the world of the early Malayalam fiction. Nayanar is credited with the penning of the first ever Malayalam short story titled Vasanavikriti. He wrote under the pseudonyms of Vajrabahu, Kesari and Vajrasoochi.

Kundalatha composed in 1887, is usually taken to be the first novel in Malayalam language. Another novel entitled Indulekha, also belonging to this period, pours vitriol against the deep caste incisions in the society. C.V. Raman Pillai is celebrated as the father of the novel dealing with history. His Marthanda Varma(1891), is an important contribution in this respect. O. Chandu Menon’s Sarada(1892) is another milestone of this era.

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908-1994) is a trailblazer of the next era of Malayalam fiction. A Padma Sri recipient, Basheer’s work was path breaking. He threw all cautions to the wind and wrote without any strict grammatical adherence. He was slammed by the critics for this. His compositions dealt with the society at large, inclusive of its evils. His long and arduous association with the struggle for Indian independence gave his novels the distinct political flavor. He traversed a whole gamut of themes ranging from the same sex love, enamoring tales of love, occult,austerity. Basheer also incurred the wrath of his own community when he publicly expressed his opposition to some of the cardinal Islamic principles. Though some of his works are infested with his lack of belief in God, the religious strain is predominant in many of his other works. Basheer incorporated a lot of his own experiences in his novels and short stories. Premalekhanam (The Love Letter), written in 1943, is an engaging novel depicting the prevalent cast divisions in the society. The tone is laced with comedy which makes the work more of a satire. His greatest work is , however, Baalyakaalasakhi(Childhood Friend) penned in 1944. The poignant romance Mathilukal(Walls, 1965) was adapted for a motion picture by the acclaimed director Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 1989 where Mammootty showcased a stellar performance.

Sankaran Kutty Pottekkat (1913-1982), is another outstanding writer of this period. His works are noted for their detailed realistic and factual description with a smattering of romance His characters are very real. His Oru Theruvinte Katha was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Oru Desattinte Katha bagged both the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Kendra Sahitya Academy award in 1972 and 1977, respectively.

Madhavikutty (Kamala Das) is an important woman writer of repute. Her works exude lucid thoughts and an uncomplicated view of the world. Eloquent in both English and Malayalam, Madhavikutty’s oeuvre comprises works like Ente Katha(My Story) and Pakkshiyute Manam(Smell of the bird) among others.

K.Saraswati Amma is another luminary. Her short stories like Cholamarangal(Shady Trees) and Orukkatinte(At The End Of Preparation) are feisty tales about the resilience of women.

Uroob (1915-1979), O.V.Vijayan(1930-2005), Leela Devi, M. Mukundan, Zacharia, Anand, Kovilan, N.S Madhavan, P Padmarajan, E Harikumar, K Surendran are some of the other leading luminaries of this period of Malayalam fiction.

B. Murali, Indu Menon, K Rekha, Sithara, Subhas Chandra, Vinod Ilakolloor are some of the prominent names of the world of modern –day Malayalam fiction.

Last Updated on 27 May 2011