Sithara S. (born 1972) is an Indian feminist writer in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

from

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 ...

. In her short stories and novels she has highlighted women's issues, gender conflict and

lesbian rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , ...

. In 2004 she won

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

Golden Jubilee Award for her contributions to

Indian literature Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognised languages. The earliest works of Indian literature were ...

She is also a translator from

to English and vice versa.

Early life and education

Sithara was born and brought up in

Kasaragod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala an ...

district of

. She obtained her post-graduation degree in English Literature and Diploma in journalism from

University of Calicut The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to be set up in nor ...

. At an early age she was afflicted with life-threatening cancer disease. She attributes her firebrand literary style to her lifelong battle against cancer and social stigma.

Literary works

Sithara is one of the leading contemporary women writers from Kerala. She has written several best-selling books in Malayalam which include "Kathakal", "Idam", "Veshappakarcha" and "Ushnagrahangalude Sneham". She chiefly writes stories depicting oppression of women and sexuality in public places. Her stories capture the complexities of modern life from women's perspective and have an angry and defiant tone. Sithara has also translated the works of Nobel Laureate

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second Pa ...

into Malayalam. Her short story “Fire” has been included in the English Literature syllabus of

Kerala University University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Ch ...

Other contributions

Sithara's short story Agni has been made into a popular movie. She is also a freelance content writer on children's topics for television.

Awards and recognition

Sithara's works were recognised by

which conferred on her its golden jubilee prize in 2004. She has also won

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The academy was inaugurated on 15 ...

award. Besides he has won numerous other literary awards including ‘’Katha Award’’ and ‘’Geetha Hiranyan Endowment Award’’ for Malayalam literature.

Bibliography

Books in English

Books in Malayalam

* * * * * * * * * *

Chapters in books

Journal articles

* * * *

Translations

*''Enteyum Katha'' (2021), DC Books (Translation of

We Are Displaced ''We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World'' is a 2019 book by Malala Yousafzai. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company in the US and Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK. The book follows Yousafzai's ...

)

References

External links

Interview with Abdul Rasheed – Times of India dated 17 October 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sithara, S. Malayalam-language writers Indian women writers Living people 1972 births Writers from Kerala People from Kasaragod district Malayali people Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam University of Calicut University of Calicut alumni Indian feminists Feminist writers Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award