Muttathu Varkey (28 April 1913 – 28 May 1989) was an Indian novelist,

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

writer, and poet of

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 ...

.Muttathu Varkey
at puzha.com He was best known for a genre of sentiment-filled romantic fiction known as ''painkili (janapriya) novel'' in Malayalam literature, named after his famous novel '' Paadatha Painkili.''

Life

Varkey was born in Chethipuzha, a small village near

Changanassery Changanassery, () formerly Changanacherry, is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 ...

Kottayam district Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

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 ...

. Completed his pre degree and degree from SB College Changanasserry, he began his career as a school teacher at Saint Berchmans High School, Changanassery. He then took up the job of an accountant in a

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

factory. For a brief period, Varkey taught in a Tutorial College run by M. P. Paul. He then joined '' Deepika'' newspaper as an associated

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

and remained there for next 26 years until his retirement in 1974.

Literary career

Muttathu Varkey emerged as one of the popular writers of Malayalam fiction. He along with Kanam EJ was prominent in popularizing a genre of sentiment-filled pulp fiction known as ''painkili novel'' in Malayalam literature. He was a prolific writer and has penned a total of 132 books, including 65 novels. The rest of his works include collections of short stories, plays, and poetry. Many of his novels were adapted into

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

s, including the

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 6 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the hist ...

starrer '' Padatha Painkili'' (1957), '' Inapravukal'' (1965), '' Velutha Kathreena'' (1968), '' Mayiladum Kunnu'' (1972) and the Sathyan starrer '' Karakanakadal'' (1971).

Selected works

*''Paadaatha Painkili'' *''Oru Kudayum Kunjupengalum'' *''Inapravukal'' *''Karakanakkadal'' *''Mayiladum Kunnu'' *''Velutha Kathreena'' *''Akkarappacha'' *''Azhakulla Selina'' *''Pattuthoovaala'' *''Mriyakutty''

Filmography

* '' Padatha Painkili'' (1957) * '' Inapravukal'' (1965) * '' Velutha Kathreena'' (1968) * '' Mayiladum Kunnu'' (1972) * '' Azhakulla Saleena'' (1973) * '' Karakanakadal'' (1971) * ''

Kottayam Kunjachan ''Kottayam Kunjachan'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by T. S. Suresh Babu and written by Dennis Joseph, loosely based on a novel by Muttathu Varkey. It stars Mammootty in the title role as Kunjachan, with ...

'' (1990)

Muttathu Varkey Award

Muttathu Varkey Foundation has instituted the Muttathu Varkey Award to be presented yearly to Malayalm writers. The winner is selected by popular vote with final decisions made by prominent judges. The prominent winners of the award include, O. V. Vijayan (1992), Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1993),

M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...

(1994), Kovilan (1995), Kakkanadan (1996), VKN (1997), M. Mukundan (1998), Punathil Kunhabdulla (1999), Anand (2000), N. P. Mohammed (2001), Ponkunnam Varkey (2002), Sethu (2003), C. Radhakrishnan (2004), Zacharia (2005), Kamala Surayya (2006), T. Padmanabhan (2007), M. Sukumaran (2008), N.S. Madhavan (2009), P. Valsala (2010), Sarah Joseph (2011), N Prabhakaran (2012) C. V. Balakrishnan (2013), Asokan Charuvil (2014), K. Satchidanandan (2015), K. G. George (2016), T. V. Chandran (2017) and K. R. Meera (2018)

References

External links

muttathuvarkey.com
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Varkey, Muttathu Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala Indian male short story writers Indian male novelists Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights Malayalam poets Malayalam-language novelists Malayalam short story writers 1913 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male poets Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian short story writers Writers from Kottayam district 20th-century Indian poets Poets from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers Novelists from Kerala