C. V. Balakrishnan ( ml, സി. വി. ബാലകൃഷ്ണൻ; born 24 September 1952) is an Indian writer of

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puduchery, is one of the six Languages of India, Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises ...

. 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 ''Ayussinte Pusthakam'' (transl. The Book of Passing Shadows) ( ml, ആയുസ്സിന്റെ പുസ്തകം), is a well-known Indian Malayalam language novel by C. V. Balakrishnan. Development Writing Balakrishnan began writi ...

'' (''The Book of Passing Shadows''). He received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award thrice and the

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State C ...

for Best Book on Cinema in 2002 for ''Cinemayude Idangal''. In 2014, he won the

Padmaprabha Literary Award Padmaprabha Literary Award for contributions to the field of Malayalam literature is instituted by the Padmaprabha Foundation. A prestigious literary prize in Malayalam, the award was instituted in memory of freedom fighter and socialist Padmapra ...

Biography

Balakrishnan was born in

Payyannur Payyanur, , is a municipal town and a taluk, a sub-district administrative unit, in the Kannur district of Kerala, India. On 10 March 2018, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Payyanur as the fifth taluk in the district. Payyan ...

, Kannur district,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a 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 regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

. After completing his school education, he took training in teaching and worked in various schools before shifting to

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

in 1979 where he worked as a freelance journalist. It was in Calcutta he began writing ''

''.

''Ayussinte Pusthakam'' (The Book of Passing Shadows)

''Ayussinte Pusthakam'' is considered one of the major works in the post-modernist Malayalam literature. Balakrishnan began writing this novel when he moved to

in late-1970s. An old edition of

the Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

at St. Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta triggered the book in him. It took him three years to complete the novel. Says the author: "All the characters and villages of Christian settlers were in my mind long before I began thinking about writing ''Ayussinte Pusthakam''. The characters are based on people I met during my course as a school teacher in a village in Kasaragod. I wrote ''Ayussinte Pusthakam'' at a time when I was going through an emotionally difficult period; my relation with my father was strained and I was feeling very lonely. ''Ayussinte Pusthakam'' is about loneliness.” The book is also about sin and sadness, written in a style and language that have been judiciously borrowed from The Bible." The novel was successfully adapted for the stage by

suveeran K. P. Suveeran is a film and drama director from Kozhikode. His first movie ''Byari'' won the National Film Award for Best Film in 2011. This is the first feature film to be made in the Beary language. Biography Suveeran is a native of Azhi ...

in 2008. It won many

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The academy started a cultural centre at the Bahrain Kerala ...

Awards including one for the best play.

List of literary works

Novels

* ''

'' (transl. The Book of Passing Shadows) * ''Aathmavinu Sariyennu Thonnunna Karyangal'' * ''Avanavante Anandam Kandethanulla Vazhikal'' * ''Disa'' * ''Kannadikkadal'' * '' Kamamohitham'' * ''Librarian'' * ''Varu Daivame Varu'' * ''Ennum Njayarazhcha Aayirunnenkil''

Novellas

* ''Aadhi'' * ''Aavanakkinte Oru Poovu Allenkil Erikkinter Oru Poovu'' * ''Aagola Grameenar'' * ''Ozhiyabadhakal'' * ''Drushti'' * ''Asthikalile Venal'' * ''Eenthappanayude Thottam'' * ''Ellinpadangal Poovidumbol'' * ''Globinte Ee Vasath'' * ''Irattakkuttikalude Achan'' * ''Parimalaparvatham'' * ''Vilakkumadam'' * ''Manassinu Ethra Thiraseelakal'' * ''Manjuprathima'' * ''Meen Pidikkaan Poya Gabriel'' * ''Narthanasala'' * ''Amen Amen'' * ''Prappitiyan'' * ''Sari, Pisachineppatti Samsarikkam'' * ''Tharangaleela'' * ''Vishadakala'' * ''Viva Goa'' * ''Vellivelichathil'' * ''Ithivritham'' * ''Kadal Guhakal'' * ''Oru Gothra kadha, Oru Charithra kadha, Oru Chalachithra kadha'' * ''Maranam Ennu Perullavan'' * ''Ottakkoru Penkutty'' * ''Jivithame Nee Enth?'' * ''Jwalakalapam'' * ''Etho Rajavinte Prajakal'' * ''Ente Pizha Ente Pizha Ente Valiya Pizha'' * ''Bhavabhayam'' * ''Rathisandratha''

Short story collections

* ''Bhumiye Patti Adhikam Parayanda'' * ''Katha'' (Selected stories) * ''Kulirum Mattu Kathakalum'' * ''Malakhamar Chiraku Veesumboima'' * ''Pranayakalam'' * ''Sareeram Ariyunnathu'' * ''Snehavirunnu'' * ''Urangan Vayya'' * ''Vishudha Chumbanam'' * ''Daivam Piano Vaayikkumbol'' * ''Edwin Paul'' * ''Ente Bhranthan Kinavukal'' * ''Ulkrushtaraaya Manushyarum Undu''

Autobiography

* ''Paralmeen Neenthunna Paadam''

Memoirs

* ''Saannidhyam'' * ''Sugandha Sasyangalkidayiloode'' * ''Vaathil Thurannitta Nagarathil'' * ''Aathmaavinodu Cherunnathu''

Travelogues

* ''Ethetho Saranikalil'' * ''Yathrapathangalil'' * ''Scottish Dinarathrangal''

Translations

* ''Parethan'' (Translation of

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

's novel The Escaped Cock) * ''Anyadesha Kathakal'' (Selected stories) * ''Vegetarian'' (Translation of Han Kang's novel The Vegetarian) * ''Vruddhanum Vankatalum'' (Translation of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

's novel

The Old Man and the Sea ''The Old Man and the Sea'' is a novella written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cayo Blanco (Cuba), and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction written by Hemingway that was published during his lifetime. On ...

)

Others

* ''Cinemayude Idangal'' (Essays on Film) * ''Mechilsthalangal'' (Essays) * ''Thathyakal Mithyakal'' (Essays) * ''Nerkazhchakalude Neru'' (Selected Journalism)

Filmography

; story, screenplay and dialogues * '' Mattoral'' (1988) * '' Puravrutham'' (1988) * '' Sammanam'' (1997) * '' Kattathoru Penpoovu'' (1997) * '' Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal'' (2000) * '' Orma Mathram'' (2011) * '' Vellivelichathil'' (2014) ; Story * '' Irattakuttikalude Achan'' (1997) * '' Kottaram Veettile Apputtan'' (1998) * ''Thoramazhayathu'' (2010) * Segment ''Puzha'' in the anthology Cheraathukal (2021)

Awards

* 1994: SBI Malayalam Literary Award for ''Maalakhamaar chiraku veesumbol'' * 1998: V. T. Bhattathiripad Memorial Award for ''Atmavinu Sariyennu Thonnunna Karyangal'' * 2000: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Novel) for ''Atmavinu Sariyennu Thonnunna Karyangal'' * 2001:

Kerala Film Critics Association Award The Kerala Film Critics Association Awards are presented annually by the Kerala Film Critics Association to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Malayalam language film industry of India. The awards were instit ...

for '' Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal'' * 2002:

(Best Book on Cinema) for ''Cinemayude Idangal'' * 2008: Mayilpeeli Puraskaram * 2010: Shantakumaran Thampi Award * 2012: O. Chandu Menon Puraskaram * 2012: Basheer Puraskaram * 2012: Kalakeralam Award (Best screenplay) for Orma Mathram * 2013: Muttathu Varkey Award * 2014:

* 2014: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Biography and Autobiography) for ''Paralmeen Neenthunna Paadam'' * 2015: Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam Sahitya Puraskaram * 2017: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Travelogue) for ''Ethetho Saranikalil'' * 2018:

Mundur Krishnankutty Anupurath Krishnankutty, popularly known as Mundur Krishnankutty (17 July 1935 – 4 June 2005), was a Malayalam–language writer from Kerala state, India. Life He was born in Mundur in Palghat to parents Manakulangara Govinda Pisharody an ...

Award

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balakrishnan, C. V. 1952 births Malayali people Malayalam-language writers Malayalam novelists Malayalam short story writers Malayalam screenwriters Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala State Film Award winners Living people Indian male short story writers 20th-century Indian short story writers Writers from Kannur Screenwriters from Kerala 20th-century Indian novelists Indian male screenwriters Indian male novelists Novelists from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers