N. S. Madhavan

Last updated

N. S. Madhavan
en.es maadhvn.jpg
Madhavan in July 2015
Born (1948-09-09) September 9, 1948 (age 76)
Cochin, Cochin State, Dominion of India
(present-day Ernakulam, Kerala, India)
OccupationNovelist, short story writer, columnist, IAS Officer
Language Malayalam
Nationality Indian
Alma mater Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
GenreNovel, short story, essays
SubjectSocial aspects
Notable works
  • Higuita
  • Thiruth
  • Chulaimedile Shavangal
  • Pancha Kanyakakal
  • Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal
Notable awards
SpouseSheela Reddy
Children Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

N. S. Madhavan (born 9 September 1948) is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Known for his novel, Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal (Litanies of the Dutch Battery) and a host of short stories such as Higuita, Thiruthu, Chulaimedile Shavangal and Vanmarangal Veezhumpol, Madhavan also writes football columns and travel articles. He is a distinguished fellow of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and a recipient of several major awards including Odakkuzhal Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel, Muttathu Varkey Award, Mathrubhumi Literary Award, Crossword Book Award and Kerala State Students Federation Sahithyolsav Award.

Contents

Biography

N. S. Madhavan, born on September 9, 1948, in the port city of Cochin did his school education at Sree Rama Varma High School and graduated in economics from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. [1] His post-graduate studies were at the Department of Economics, University of Kerala. During this period he began writing, and in 1970 won the top prize for his first published short story 'Shishu', in a contest organised by the Malayalam literary magazine Mathrubhumi. [2] He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1975 and started his administrative career as a member of the Bihar cadre. After serving in Bihar in various capacities, he returned to his home state in 1988. [3]

Madhavan is married to Sheela Reddy, a book editor of Outlook, an English magazine published in New Delhi. Their daughter, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan is a well-known blogger and the author of works such as You Are Here, Confessions of a Listmaniac and Cold Feet. [4] [5]

Writing career

Stories

N.S Madhavan N S madhavan.JPG
N.S Madhavan

In the 1980s, Madhavan went through a decade-long period of writer's block, until the release of his story 'Higuita' in 1990. In this work, Madhavan models his protagonist, Father Geevarghese, on René Higuita, the 1990 FIFA World Cup goalkeeper for Colombia and his unconventional playing style whereby he would often abandon his goal and try to score goals, occupies the priest's imagination. [6] Likewise, he temporarily abandons his cassock and saves a tribal girl Lucie from the clutches of the trafficker Jabbar. The short story was rated among the best Malayalam stories in the last century. [7] It has since been adapted into a play, Higuita: A Goalie’s Anxiety at Penalty Kick, by Sasidharan Naduvil. [8] Thiruthu, based on the Babri Masjid demolition, Chulaimedile Shavangal (Corpses of Chulaimed), Vanmarangal Veezhumpol (When the Big Trees Fall), Paryaya Kathakal (Synonymous Stories), Nilavili (The Cry), Muyal Vetta (Hare Hunt) and Nalam Lokam (The Fourth World) are some of his other notable short stories. [9] His stories are known to represent the uncertainties, ambiguities and tragedies of the modern world. [10]

Novel

After thirty three years as a writer, Madhavan published his debut novel in 2003 as Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal. [3] The novel is about the life on an imaginary island in the Kochi backwaters, [11] named after a 17th-century battery (bathery in Malayalam) of five cannons installed on its promontory by the Dutch (Lanthans in Malayalam). [12] Jessica, the young narrator of the story, is the scion of a family of carpenters with a long tradition of boat building. Her reminiscences start from the days when she was inside her pregnant mother's womb. The novel presents an intimate picture of life of the Latin Christians of the Kerala coast, descendants of poor, low-caste Hindus who were converted to Christianity by Portuguese colonists in the 16th century. [13] The first edition of the novel was sold out in a month. [14]

The novel is set between 1951 and 1967, the first sixteen years of Jessica life, but draws upon history going back to the time of Vasco Da Gama. [13] She was born at a time when people used to run away from cow-pox vaccinators as well as the period when Kerala embraced communism, which the novelist calls the watermelon years – an allusion to the verdant green-canopied Kerala with its hidden red watermelons. There are captivating descriptions of Latin catholic residents of the Dutch Battery preparing themselves for months prior to the staging of Karalman Charitham a Chavittu Nadakam or an operatic play about Charlemagne, originally written in Tamil and pidgin Latin by Chinnathambi Annavi in the 16th century. [15] [16] Set against the background of the city of Madhavan's birth, Kochi, the Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal is a roller coaster ride through micro histories, the nascent days of a newly independent country, the growth and decline of ideas, and the randomness of events affecting human lives. Well-known Malayalam novelist M. Mukundan made the following assessment after reviewing the novel, "N.S. Madhavan has rejuvenated Malayalam fiction." [17] He summarises the novel thus: "[The book] is all about history and imagination—the protogonists of new fiction that is in vogue." [17] Mukundan added, "The novel is heavily populated with communists, priests, carpenters, cooks, boatmen, librarians, school teachers, even tailors. At times you will come across history makers from faraway Russia – Joseph Stalin, Imre Nagy, Nikita Khrushchev..." [17]

Other works

In 2006, Madhavan published has written two plays, Rayum Mayum and Arbhudhavaidyan, published together as a book, Randu Natakangal, in 2006. [18] His novel Lanthanbatheriyile Luthiniyakal was translated into English by Rajesh Rajamohan under the title Litanies of Dutch Battery and published in October 2010 by Penguin Books. The work was the winner of the 2010 Crossword Book Award (Indian language translations) [19] and featured in the Man Asian Literary Prize long list [2] and the 2011 The Hindu Literary Prize short list. [20] Kaya Taran , the 2004 Hindi movie by Sashi Kumar, is based on When Big Trees Fall, a short story by Madhavan about the homicidal attacks on the Sikhs that followed the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, the then Indian Prime Minister. [3] [21] He also edited one book, Malayala Kathakal, composed of 60 short stories by various writers. [22]

Awards

Madhavan, who topped the field in a literary competition conducted by Mathrubhumi in 1970 for his short story, Shishu, received the Padmarajan Award for his work, Thiruthu in 1993 [23] and a year later, he received the 1994 Odakkuzhal Award for Higuita. [24] Higuita was selected for another award in 1995, the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story; [25] he would receive another award from Kerala Sahitya Akademi in 2004, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel for Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal. [26] The novel was included in the long list for the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize, the prize eventually going to the Chinese novel, Wolf Totem. [2] He received one more award for Higuita, the Muttathu Varkey Award in 2009 [27] followed by the Padmaprabha Literary Award, the same year. [28] The English translation of his novel, Litanies of Dutch Battery, was shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize in 2011. [20] Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with fellowship in 2013. [29] [30] He received the Padmaprabha Literary Prize in 2015 [31] and two awards in 2018, the Mathrubhumi Literary Award [32] [33] and the Literary Award of the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam. [9]

Bibliography

Novels

Short stories

Plays

Essays

Articles

Translations to other languages

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. T. Vasudevan Nair</span> Indian author, screenplay writer and film director

Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M.T., is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam at World Short Story Competition conducted by The New York Herald Tribune. His first major novel Naalukettu, written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu and Randamoozham. The deep emotional experiences of his early days have gone into the making of MT's novels. Most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture and many of them were path-breaking in the history of Malayalam literature. His three seminal novels on life in the matriarchal family in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharatha from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O. V. Vijayan</span> Indian writer and cartoonist

Ottupulackal Velukkuty Vijayan, commonly known as O. V. Vijayan, was an Indian author and cartoonist, who was an important figure in modern Malayalam language literature. Best known for his first novel Khasakkinte Itihasam (1969), Vijayan was the author of six novels, nine short-story collections, and nine collections of essays, memoirs and reflections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anand (writer)</span> Indian writer

P. Sachidanandan, who uses the pseudonym Anand, is an Indian writer, writing primarily in Malayalam. He is one of the known living intellectuals in India. His works are noted for their philosophical flavor, historical context and their humanism. He is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and three Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards. He is also a recipient of Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, Vayalar Award, Odakkuzhal Award, Muttathu Varkey Award, Vallathol Award and Yashpal Award. He did not accept the Yashpal Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attoor Ravi Varma</span> Indian poet and translator (1930–2019)

Attoor Ravi Varma was an Indian poet and translator of Malayalam literature. One of the pioneers of modern Malayalam poetry, Ravi Varma is a recipient of Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation, besides many other honours. The Government of Kerala honoured him with their highest literary award, the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, in 2012 and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi inducted him as their distinguished fellow in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. Padmanabhan</span> Indian writer

Thinakkal Padmanabhan, popularly known as T. Padmanabhan, is an Indian short story writer of Malayalam literature. He is a recipient of several awards including the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary award of the Government of Kerala. He declined some of the earlier awards he was selected for which include Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1973), Odakkuzhal Award (1995) and Sahitya Akademi Award (1996). Mahatma Gandhi University conferred on him the honoris causa degree of the Doctor of Letters in 2018. In 2023, he was honoured with the Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian award given by the Kerala Government.

P. Kunjanandan Nair, better known by his pseudonym, Thikkodiyan, was an Indian playwright, novelist, lyricist and screenwriter of Malayalam. He was known for his contributions to the genre of radio plays and his autobiography, Arangu Kaanatha Nadan, which detailed the socio-cultural development of Malabar in the post-independent period, fetched him a number of awards including the Kendra Sahithya Academy Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography and Autobiography, Vayalar Award and the Odakkuzhal Award.

N. P. Mohammed, popularly known by his initials N. P., was an Indian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Malayalam language. Along with his contemporaries like M. T. Vasudevan Nair, O. V. Vijayan, Kakkanadan, and Madhavikutty, he was known to have been one of the pioneers of modernist movement in Malayalam fiction. He was the president of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and a recipient of several awards including Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel, Lalithambika Antharjanam Award, Padmaprabha Literary Award and the Muttathu Varkey Award.

Sankara Pillai Guptan Nair or S. Guptan Nair was an Indian scholar, academic, critic and writer of Malayalam literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. Madhusoodanan Nair</span> Indian Malayalam writer (born 1949)

V. Madhusoodanan Nair is an Indian poet and critic of Malayalam literature, who is credited with contributions in popularizing poetry through recitation. He is best known for Naranathu Bhranthan, the poem with the most editions in Malayalam literature as well as his music albums featuring recitations of his own poems and poems of other major poets. Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with their annual award for poetry in 1993. He is also a recipient many other honours including Sahitya Akademi Award, Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram, Padmaprabha Literary Award, Kunju Pillai Award, R. G. Mangalom Award, Souparnikatheeram Prathibhapuraskaram and Janmashtami Puraskaram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subhash Chandran</span> Indian writer

Subhash Chandran is a Malayalam novelist, short story writer and journalist from Kerala, India. His work includes the 2010 novel Manushyanu Oru Aamukham and the stories "Vadhakramam", "Sanmargam", "Parudeesa Nashtam" and "Guptham", which have been adapted into films. Chandran is the only writer to receive Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards for both his debut story collection (2001) and debut novel (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri</span> Indian writer (1926–2020)

Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham, was an Indian poet and essayist who wrote in Malayalam. He was known for a simple and lucid style of writing, exploring themes of profound love and compassion in his works. Some of his prominent works included Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam, Balidarshanam, and Nimisha Kshetram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Leelavathy</span> Indian writer and academic

Mundanat Leelavathy is a Malayalam writer, literary critic and educationist. She taught at various colleges in Kerala before retiring as Principal from Government Brennen College, Thalassery. During her long literary career, she won several awards including Sahitya Akademi Award and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. She is a contemporary of such noted critics in Malayalam including K. M. George, S. Guptan Nair, N. Krishna Pillai, P. K. Balakrishnan, M. K. Sanu and Sukumar Azhikode. Leelavathy is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. N. Kakkad</span> Indian poet

Narayanan Nambuthiri Kakkad, commonly known as N. N. Kakkad, was an Indian poet of the Malayalam language. Known for works such as Saphalmee Yathra, Pathalathinde Muzhakkam and Changatham, he was a Sanskrit scholar and was known to have been proficient in painting and music. He was a recipient of several awards including Odakkuzhal Award, Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and Vayalar Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. V. Balakrishnan</span> Indian writer

C. V. Balakrishnan is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. His novels and short stories encompass the emotional issues related to mass culture, sexual politics, fate of the marginalised and institutionalised religions. An author of more than 60 literary works along with a few film scripts and film criticisms, his best known work is the novel Ayussinte Pusthakam. He received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award thrice and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Book on Cinema in 2002 for Cinemayude Idangal. In 2014, he won the Padmaprabha Literary Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. Prabhakaran</span> Indian writer

N. Prabhakaran is a noted short story writer, novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, educationist, editor and columnist in Malayalam. He won the 2022 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship. The eldest of the five children born to N Kunhambu and A Kalliani, Prabhakaran was born at Parassinikkadavu in Kannur district of Kerala on 30 December 1952. He spent his childhood days at Madayi. Prabhakaran studied at Madayi L P School, Govt. High School, Madayi, Payyannur College and Government Brennen College, Thalassery. He served as a lecturer at the Dept. of Malayalam of Lekshmipuram college of Arts and Science, Neyyoor, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, CKG Memorial Govt College, Perambra, and Govt Brennen College, Thalassery, and retired while serving as the Head of the Malayalam Department of Brennen College. The writer also served as a visiting professor of Malayalam at the University of Calicut. Prabhakaran resides at Dharmadam in Thalassery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priya A. S.</span> Indian writer of Malayalam literature (born 1967)

Priya A. S. is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. She writes short stories, children's literature, translations and memoirs. She has translated Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things into Malayalam under the title Kunju Karyangalude Odeythampuran of which Roy herself has said that although there have been translations in several languages, no other translation is as important to her as this, as it is the language of the novel's central characters. She is a three-time recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. M. Devadas</span> Indian poet

V. M. Devadas is a Malayalam novelist, short story writer and screenwriter from Wadakkancherry, Kerala, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Hareesh</span> Indian writer

S. Hareesh is an Indian writer, translator and screenwriter of Malayalam literature and cinema. He is best known for his short stories and his acclaimed but controversial debut novel, Meesa, which explores caste in Kerala in the mid-20th century. The novel, initially serialized in the Mathrubhumi weekly, was withdrawn after protests by right-wing Hindutva groups and caste-community organizations for "maligning Hindu women and temple priests". It was later published as a full novel by DC Books. Hareesh is the recipient of several honours including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel and the Geetha Hiranyan Endowment of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi. In November 2020, the English translation of Meesa, titled Moustache, was selected for the JCB Prize for Literature, the Indian literary award with the highest prize money.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Achuthan</span> Indian academic (1930–2017)

Mukkuttiparambil Achuthan was an Indian academic, orator, and literary critic of Malayalam literature. Known for his works viz. Swathanthrya Samaravum Malayala Sahithyavum, Paschathya Sahitya Darshanam and Cherukadha Innale Innu, Achuthan was a recipient of several literary honours including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Literary Criticism and for Overall Contributions as well as the Padmaprabha Literary Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinoy Thomas</span> Indian writer

Vinoy Thomas is an Indian writer who writes in Malayalam. Known for his novels, Karikkottakkari and Puttu as well as for his short stories such as Ramachi, Thomas is a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel. Churuli, a Lijo Jose Pellissery movie, is based on one of his stories.

References

  1. ↑ "Author Details". 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "The 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize - Longlist Announced" (PDF). Man Asian Literary Prize. 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "N S Madhavan - Author of 'When Big Trees Fall'". kayataran.com. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "Girls of the Mahabharata". www.thenewsminute.com. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  5. ↑ Kumari, Barkha (6 January 2019). "From chick-lit to epics and murder mystery, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan is experimenting with genres and her heroines". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "'Higuita' judge stages sit-in, corporation clears market garbage - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  7. ↑ "The world is round, and so is a football". dna. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Ramanath, Renu (17 January 2019). "11th edition of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala to holding the stage". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Bahrain Keraleeya Sahitya Puraskaram". Madhyamam. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  10. ↑ "എഴുത്തുമുറിയിലെ ഇടിമുഴക്കങ്ങള്‍; എന്‍ എസ് മാധവന്‍റെ പഞ്ചകന്യകകള്‍-ഒരു വായന". Azhimukham (in Malayalam). 28 December 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "An illustrative journey". The New Indian Express. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "Lanthan Bathery comes alive as you explore Kochi islands". OnManorama. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  13. 1 2 Chowdhury, Aloke Roy. Secrets of the land with 5 cannon.
  14. ↑ "Sex worker's memoirs turns out to be bestseller in Kerala". Gulf Today. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "Chinnathambi Annavi statue unveiled". @businessline. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "Attired in costumes, the legend is born again". The Hindu. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 M. Mukundan Epic Imagination: Review of Lanthanbatheriyile Luthinayakal, The Little Magazine, New Delhi: Volume IV, Issue 4 2003
  18. ↑ Madhavan, N. S. (7 September 2006). "Randu Nadakangal" (in Malayalam). DC Books. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  19. ↑ "Crossword Book Awards - Indian literary awards". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  20. 1 2 "Shortlisted works for 2011 prize". The Hindu. 25 September 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  21. ↑ "Big trees, little shoots". The Hindu . 16 July 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2019.[ dead link ]
  22. ↑ Madhavan, N.S., ed. (2017). Malayala Kadha- 60 Kadhakal. DC Books. OCLC   1015264445.
  23. ↑ "Winners of Padmarajan Award". www.keralaculture.org. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  24. ↑ "Winners of Odakkuzhal Award". www.keralaculture.org. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  25. ↑ "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story". Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. 1 February 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  26. ↑ "N S Madhavan- Speaker in Kerala literature Festival KLF –2019". keralaliteraturefestival.com. 1 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  27. ↑ "Muttathu Varkey Award presented". The Hindu. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "Padmaprabha Literary Award - Padma Prabha Puraskaram". www.keralaculture.org. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  29. ↑ "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship" (PDF). Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  30. ↑ "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship recipients". www.keralaculture.org. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  31. ↑ "Padmaprabha prize for N.S. Madhavan". The Hindu. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  32. ↑ "NS Madhavan presented with Mathrubhumi Literary Award". Mathrubhumi. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  33. ↑ "Mathrubhumi Literary Award for N S Madhavan". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.