These great writers of kerala

Submitted by bhawani on Sun, 2006-12-03 21:02. Kerala

Paul Zachariah
The story-teller has often been likened to a football player, an attacking forward in the game. He gets set in the theme as a football player gets used to the field . The deft manner in which he uses words to tell a story is similar to the felicity with which an expert striker dribbles the ball. Like the player shooting the ball in unexpected directions, Zachariah directs the language in a manner that dealer hardly expects. His writings enchant and at times baffle. Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (2005) for his collection of short stories Zachariyayute Kathaka. his stories are the quintessence of contemporary history.
Use of a chatty style, without euphonious words, making it read like a conversation, adoption of a journalistic presentation lending the work a non-fictional aura Zachariah moves seamlessly from one to the other. It could take the form of a prayer to the Lord, a diary note, ad copy, a press report, or a plain narrative, Zachariah is unputdownable.
At the top of the charts is the name of iconoclastic and irrepressibly unorthodox Paul Zachariah. He is one of Kerala’s most significant modernist writers. Zachariah won the award for his collection of short stories Zachariyayute Kathakal. He has to his credit many collections of short stories, two novellas and a volume of essays. His writing has been path-breaking with a marked individualistic style and an underlying sense of humour.
A recipient of the Katha award earlier, his writings have been with the English readers in The Reflections of a Hen in her Last Hour, Praise the Lord and What News, Pilate? The stories range from the sexual fantasies of an old man, an earthy, physical portrait of Christ trying to come to terms with the burden of his destiny, to a confessional letter from Pontius Pilate. A fearless and controversial public intellectual, Zachariah has spoken consistently against religious and cultural fundamentalism.

M Mukundan
A whole generation of Malayalis grew up on a diet of Mukundan’s stories, a generation that was baffled and agonized by the world that they were not familiar with. Born in Mahe (Mayyazhi), a tiny French colony ensconced in what was then the Malabar District of Madras Presidency, Mukundan found himself in Delhi at the tender age. He wrote several tales about Mahe and Delhi, both unknown locales for a majority of the readers. He wrote about the accursed youth with whom the readers identified themselves. Known as the 'storyteller of Mayyazhi', he gives a clear picture of Mayyazhi through the works Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil, Daivathinte Vikrithikal (Kendra Sahitya Academy Award winner), Lesli Achante Kadangal and Appam Chudunna Kunkiyamma.
In a career spanning three decades, eleven novels and ten anthologies of stories, he experimented with stories themes locales and craft and that assured a large group of readers transcending age group definitions.
Kesavante Vilapangal tells the story of writer Kesavan who writes a novel on a child named Appukkuttan influenced by veteran Communist leader EMS Namboodirippad. The French government conferred on him the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1998 considering his contributions to literature. Ee Lokam Athiloru Manushyan bagged the Kerala Sahitya Academy award. Oru Dalit YuvatiyudeKadan katha with Post-Modernist approach reveals that like ideology art too creates its martyrs.

Sara Joseph
Pennezhuthu or Women’s writing has a staunch proponent in writer Sara Joseph. Feminism according to her is an ideology rooted in women’s liberation and language is often the vehicle of both suppression and liberation. An activist for women’s causes, the author tries to impress upon the reader the fact that generations have thrust upon us a language which has patriarchal notions deeply entrenched in it.
Author of Papathara, Alahayude Pennmkal, Manassile Thi Mathram, Kaattinte Sangeetham, Nanmathinmakalude Vriksham are the books she has authored. Inher writings a strong point of view is often upheld by her characters an the writer often explains that the character steers her and there never is an attempt to infuse a temperament into a character purely with the intention of getting the author’s point of view through.

Sethu
In a totally different genre, the common thread of Sethu’s stories is the magic realism that creeps in unannounced. The beginning of the narration is often quite conventional, but before the reader realizes it, he is drawn into a world of fantasy. It could be a meeting with the alter-ego or a scary apparition, it could be a nightmare. One could say that a traveler caught between the destination and the path, his futile but unending search for a shelter are the quintessence of his works. Tantra, talisman, serpents and Dravidian totems and symbols, all are used to good effect in the stories. He is credited with a new idiom in Malayalam writing and a new genre. Apart from several anthologies, Sethu is the author of novels, the major of which are Pandavapuram, Kiratham, Vilayattam, Thaliyola, Njangal Admagal etc. He was also a partner in an experiment – he co-authored the novel Navagrahangalude Thadavara jointly with Punathil Kunhabdulla.

The Vayalar Award for this year has gone to Sethu for his novel 'Adayalangal. Handling an aspect which is contemporary, he throws light on the mother-daughter bonding and also delves into the 'self' which is caught between the many demands on her person -in her various roles.
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