Maniyambath Mukundan (born 10 September 1942) is an Indian author of Malayalam literature and former diplomat. He worked as a cultural attaché at the Embassy of France in Delhi from 1961 to 2004, while concurrently working as an author. Many of his early works are set in Mahe (Mayyazhi), his homeland, which earned him the moniker Mayyazhiyude Kathakaaran (Mayyazhi's storyteller). He is known to be one of the pioneers of modernity in Malayalam literature. Some of his best known works include Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil, Daivathinte Vikrithikal, Kesavante Vilapangal, and Pravasam. He has received several literary awards, including Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Crossword Book Award, JCB Prize, and the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram (the highest literary award of the Government of Kerala). He is also a recipient of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of the Government of France.

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

Memoirs

Works translated