M T Vasudevan Nair, one of the most important Indian writers today, was born on August 15, 1934 in
Kudallur, a small village in
Palakkad District,
Kerala. He rose to eminence through his well-crafted novels and short stories in
Malayalam.
Most of his stories show the wretched state of the Nair families. Nalukettu, Kaalam, Asuravithu, Manju, Randamoozham, Vilapayathra, Arabipponnu (co-authoured with N.P. Muhammed), Pathiravum Pakal Velichavum are among his novels. He has 18 short story collections to his credit of which the most important are Olavum Theeravum, Kutyedathi, Ninte Ormakku, Nashtapetta Dinangal, Iruttinte Aatmavu, Varikkuzhi, Dar-s-Salaam, and Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam.
He occupied and continues to occupy many important and powerful positions in various literary bodies including the presidentship of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and the Chairmanship of the Tunchan Memorial Trust. He has acted as the Chief Editor of the Mathrubhumi Weekly and as the editor of the Mathrubhumi periodicals. He won the Jnanapeedam Award in 1996. On the 2nd of June 1996 he was bestowed with honorary D.Lit degree by the University of Calicut. He had also bagged the Vayalar Award in 1985, the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award in 1986. M T also gained the Padmarajan prize for short story. The films Nirmalyam, Bandhanam, Varikkuzhi, Manju, Vaishali, Daya and Kadavu were written and directed by him. Of these 'Nirmalyam' won the national award for best film, while the other four bagged the state awards.
