P. Sachidanandan (born 1936), who uses the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Anand, is an Indian writer, writing primarily in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

. He is one of the known living intellectuals in India. His works are noted for their philosophical flavor, historical context and their

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

. He is a recipient of the

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

and three

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

s ( story,

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, and

scholarly literature Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or theses. The part of academic written output that is not formally publis ...

). 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 The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a novel of literary merit. It is one of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award#Awards, twel ...

Life

Sachidanandan was born in 1936 to a primary school teacher at

Irinjalakuda Irinjalakuda is a municipal town in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of Irinjalakuda Revenue Division, Thrissur Rural Police and Mukundapuram Taluk. After Thrissur, this town has most number of administrative, law-enfor ...

in the

Thrissur district Thrissur (), anglicised as Trichur, is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about , th ...

(Trichur) of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. He graduated in

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

from College of Engineering, Trivandrum in 1958. He retired as Planning Director of the Central Water Commission after a career which included extended stints working in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. He also worked in the military (

North-East Frontier Agency The North–East Frontier Agency (NEFA), originally known as the North-East Frontier Tracts (NEFT), was one of the political divisions in British India, and later the Republic of India until 20 January 1972, when it became the Union territory, U ...

) for four years during 1960–64 in the Short Service Commission. Anand resides in Delhi.

Writing

It was the famous critic M. Govindan who helped Anand publish his maiden novel ''Alkkoottam''. At age 34, it was his first ever published work. It was a new experience for the Malayalee readers and the book received rave reviews and pungent criticisms alike. He followed ''Alkkoottam'' (Crowd) with three more equally abstract novels: ''Maranacertificate'' (Death Certificate), ''Abhayarthikal'' (Refugees) and ''Utharayanam''. These books made Anand a writer with considerable standing in Malayalam. But it was in the late eighties and early nineties that Anand came up with two more novels, ''Marubhoomikal Undakunnathu'' and ''Govardhanante Yaathrakal'', which made him an icon in Malayalam literature. Contemporary Malayalam writer M. Mukundan made the following comment about Anand's style.

Anand's is the most articulate voice in Kerala today, which questions the moral premises of politics and most importantly, resists Hindu fundamentalism. His essays and novels unmistakably establish a metaphor of resistance. The prose in Anand's novels is taut - no moon will ever rise in it, nor flowers blossom or river breezes waft through. His language, stripped to the bone, sometimes challenges the reader to go through it.

Anand has also written many short stories and articles, most of which deal with plight of the ordinary people who are exploited by the people in power. His characters are not necessarily a Malayali, and often weaves in historical elements into his stories. More often they are also located outside Kerala. He is also a prolific essayist. He occasionally writes poems also.

Awards

* Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, 1981 *

, 1985 * Vayalar Award, 1993 *

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Scholarly Literature The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Scholarly Literature is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing scholarly literature (science literature) of literary merit. It is one ...

, 1994 * Odakkuzhal Award, 1996 *

, 1997 * Muttathu Varkey Award, 2000 * Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize, 2012 * Vallathol Award, 2015 * Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, 2019

Criticisms

The 'abstractness' of Anand's writing has been a cause for criticism, from people alleging he does not actually name concrete people and organizations, instead relying on a historical and abstract narrative, even in his political essays. Balachandran Chullikkadu, a well-known poet in Malayalam, once said that Anand is the messiah of NGOs.

Books by Anand

Novels and novellas

* Marana Certificate (Death Certificate ) ''Current Books. 1974. .'' * * Received 1997 Sahitya Akademi Award * * Aalkkoottam ''(The Crowd) (1st DCB ed.). Kōṭṭayaṃ: DC Books. 1998. .'' * Utharayanam ''(in Malayalam). DC Books.'' * * * * * * *

Short story collection

* * * * * * * * * *

Dramas

* ''Savaghoshyathra'' * ''Mukthipadham''

Other books

* * * * * * * * *

Poems

Translations in English

* * * * * *

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anand 1936 births Living people Novelists from Kerala Engineers from Kerala Malayalam-language novelists Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award People from Irinjalakuda Writers from Thrissur district 20th-century Indian novelists Indian male novelists Indian irrigation engineers 20th-century Indian engineers 20th-century Indian male writers Malayalam poets