M. Mukundan

Early life

Mukundan was born on 10 September 1942 at Mahe, then a French overseas territory and now a part of the union territory of Puducherry in South India. Mukundan worked as a cultural attaché at the New Delhi office of the Embassy of France in Delhi from 1961 to 2004. He concurrently worked as an author.

Literary career

His first literary work was a short story 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 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. Daivathinte Vikrithikal has been translated into English and published By Penguin Books India.

Three of his novels were made into feature films in Malayalam. He also co-wrote the screenplay of Daivathinte Vikrithikal (1992) for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Story. 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 from October 2006 until March 2010.

Awards and honours

Mukundan received Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel in 1973 for Ee Lokam Athiloru Manushyan. This was followed by Sahitya Akademi Award 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, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of the Government of France and the Muttathu Varkey Award. He received the Vayalar Award in 2003, for Kesavante Vilapangal (Kesavan's Lamentations) and three years later, the English translation of Kesavan's Lamentations received the 2006 Crossword Book Award. The Government of Kerala awarded him their highest literary honour Ezhuthachan Puraskaram in 2018. He also received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship the same year. He is also a recipient of M. P. Paul Award. In 2017, he received the T. K. Ramakrishnan Award, awarded as part of the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Awards, for his overall contribution.

Mukundan received the JCB prize for literature in 2021 for his book Delhi: A Soliloquy. His novel Nritham Cheyyunna Kudakal received the Basheer Award in 2022. In 2023, he received the Thakazhi Award. His most recent novel Ningal won the Padmarajan Award in 2023.

Works

Novels

Novelettes

Short story collections

Non-fiction

• Enthanu Aadhunikatha? (Calicut: Poorna, 1976)

Memoirs

• Anubhavam Ormma Yathra (Calicut: Olive, 2014)

Works translated

• 1999. On the Banks of the Mayyazhi. 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: Edwin Mellen Press.

References

References

1. (2019-02-04). "M. Mukundan -- Malayalam Writer: The South Asian Literary Recordings Project (Library of Congress New Delhi Office)".
2. "M. Mukundan on Kerala Culture.org". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.
3. (9 September 2020). "M Mukundan: 'I grew up with Delhi'". [[Business Line]].
4. (13 June 2009). "About writer Mukundan".
5. (2007-08-05). "M Mukundan on Keral.com".
6. KAMALA, God's Mischief is a good read, with a French fragrance and flavour lingering in a very rooted Malayalam narrative, says N.. (2003-02-01). "Old orders, new claims". [[The Hindu]].
7. (2019-02-04). "Making mischief... .By God !". [[The Hindu]].
8. "State Film Awards 1969–2001". Information and Public Relations Department of Kerala.
9. (2008-08-18). "Pravasam is an attempt to redefine nostalgia, says M. Mukundan". The Hindu.
10. Shevlin Sebastian. (28 October 2011). "The main character is Delhi". Shevlinsebastian.blogspot.in.
11. M. Mukundan. (21 November 2011). "ഇനി ഏത് ദേശത്തെക്കുറിച്ചാണ് ഞാൻ എഴുതേണ്ടത്?". [[Madhyamam]] Weekly.
12. "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Annual Report: 2010–2011". Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
13. (2019-02-04). "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel".
14. "Katha profile".
15. Staff Reporter. (2011-11-02). "Finished work belongs to readers: Mukundan". The Hindu.
16. (2018-11-02). "Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for Mukundan".
17. (28 October 2003). "Vayalar award presented to Mukundan". [[The Hindu]].
18. (November 2018). "Noted Malayalam writer M Mukundan wins Ezhuthachan award".
19. (2018-11-02). "Thiruvananthapuram: Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for Mukundan".
20. (22 December 2019). "Akademi fellowships for Mukundan, Sankara Pillai". [[The Hindu]].
21. (16 July 2018). "അബുദാബി ശക്തി അവാർഡുകൾ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു സമഗ്രസംഭാവന പുരസ‌്കാരം എം മുകുന്ദന്". Deshabhimani.
22. Scroll Staff. (13 November 2021). "Author M Mukundan wins JCB Prize for Literature 2021 for 'Delhi: A Soliloquy'".
23. [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/basheer-award-for-malayalam-writer-m-mukundan/article66360861.ece "Basheer Award for Malayalam writer M. Mukundan"]. ''The Hindu''. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
24. (8 April 2023). "തകഴി സാഹിത്യ പുരസ്‌കാരം 17ന്‌ എം മുകുന്ദന്‌ സമ്മാനിക്കും". Deshabhimani.
25. [https://www.dcbooks.com/padmarajan-awards-announced-3.html "എം.മുകുന്ദനും വി.ജെ ജെയിംസിനും പത്മരാജൻ സാഹിത്യ പുരസ്‌കാരം; ചലച്ചിത്ര പുരസ്‌കാരം ലിജോ ജോസ് പെല്ലിശ്ശേരിക്കും ശ്രുതി ശരണ്യത്തിനും"]. [[DC Books]] (in Malayalam). 22 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
26. Mukundan, M.. (1975). "Koottam thetti meyunnavar".
27. "Charlie Master". MG University Library.
28. "Nagnanaya Thampuran". Kerala State Library Council.
29. (December 2023). "Madamma". Kerala State Library Council.
30. "Ezhamathe Poovu". Kerala State Library Council.
31. (2019-02-04). "Nadiyum Thoniyum".
32. Mukundan (M). (1997). "Thevidissikkili". Current Books.
33. Mukundan, M.. (1990). "Kallanum polisum".
34. [http://www.mathrubhumi.com/books/article/mathrubhumi_books/2439/ "Latest books by Mathrubhumi: Thanner Kudiyante Thandu"] {{webarchive. link. (2013-06-25)