Narayan (26 September 1940 – 16 August 2022) was an Indian author best known for his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

'' Kocharethi'' (1998). Most of Narayan's novels deal with the lives of the tribal communities of Kerala. He belonged to the Malayarayar tribe and is considered

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 ...

's first tribal novelist.

Early life

Narayan who was born in 1940 in Kudayathur,

Idukki district Idukki (ഇടുക്കി; ) is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala in the southwest of the country. It is the largest district in Kerala and lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district co ...

, belonged to the tribe called Malayarayar. After completing his schooling from a local government school, he got a job in the postal service.

Literary career

Narayan started his literary career by writing a few short stories, which were published in periodicals. The writing did not attract the attention of readers but it did attract attention of the negative sort: of his immediate superior. With the publication of his debut novel '' Kocharethi'' in 1998, Narayan became

's first tribal novelist. The novel, through the lives of its protagonist Kunjipennu and her childhood love and later husband, Kochuraman, depicts the history, traditions and travails of the Malayarayar tribal community in

in the twentieth century. While Narayan completed the manuscript of the novel in 1988, it was published only ten years later by the

DC Books DC Books is a book publisher based in Kerala, India. It publishes books in Malayalam. DC Books DC Books is a publisher and bookseller with headquarters in Kottayam, Kerala, India. It has published over 6,500 titles, mainly literature in Malay ...

. The novel was critically acclaimed and went on to win the

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.

. Its English translation as ''Kocharethi: The Araya Woman'' by Catherine Thankamma was published by the

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in 2011 and won the Economist Crossword Book Award in the Indian language translation category for 2011.

Awards and recognitions

''Kocharethi'' was given the

in the Novel category for the year 1999. The novel's English translation by Catherine Thankamma won the Economist Crossword Book Award in 2011. Narayan is also a recipient of many other awards including Thoppil Ravi Award and

Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award is a literary award instituted by UAE-based Abu Dhabi Sakthi Theatres and awarded to writers in Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep an ...

. ''Kocharethi'' has run into six editions in Malayalam and has been translated into

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

as ''Pahadin'' and into all the south Indian languages. A French translation of the novel is also in progress.

Death

Narayan died following COVID-19-related complications on 16 August 2022, at the age of 81.

Works

Novels *'' Kocharethi'' – (1998) *''Ooralikkudi'' – (1999) *''Chengarum Kuttalum'' – (2001) *''Vandanam'' – (2003)
''Tholkkunnavar Aaraanur'' – (2006)
*
Ee Vazhiyil Aalere Illa
' – (2006) *''Thiraskrutharude Nalea'' – (2010) *''Manasum Dhehavum Kondu Njan Ninnea'' – (2010) *
Pennungal Paniyunna Nagaram
' – (2016) *
Vannalakal
' – (2016) *
Ee Vazhiyil Aalereyilla
' – (2016) Short Story Collections *''Nissahayante Nilavili'' – (2006) *''Pela Marutha'' – (2006) *''Kadhakal Narayan'' – (2011) *''Narayante Theranjedutha Kadhakal'' – (2012) *''Narayante Kadhakal'' – (2013)

List of awards

* Thoppil Ravi Foundation Award – (1999) *

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 ...

– (1999, for ''Kocharethi'') *

– (1999, for ''Kocharethi'') *Swami Ananda Theertha Award – (2011) * Economist Crossword Book Award – (2011)

References

External links

Excerpts from the OUP translation
*
Narayan Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narayan 1940 births 2022 deaths Malayali people Malayalam-language novelists Malayalam short story writers Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 20th-century Indian short story writers Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers People from Idukki district Novelists from Kerala 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian male writers Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India