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Attoor Ravi Varma

アットール・ラヴィ・ヴァルマ

Attoor Ravi Varma

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-12-27 （Attoor, Trichur, Kingdom of Cochin (now Thrissur, Kerala, India)）
Died
2019-07-26 （Thrissur, Kerala, India） age 88
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Malayalam, Tamil, English
Residence History
Attoor (birthplace) → Thrissur (residence, treated) → Madras/Chennai (teaching) → Calicut/Kozhikode → Pattambi → Thalassery (Brennen College)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Translator, Teacher
Active Years
1950-2019
Affiliations
Presidency College, Madras, Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College, Pattambi, Brennen College, Thalassery
Influenced By
M. Govindan, Tamil writers and poets (e.g., Sundara Ramaswamy)
Influenced
Subsequent Malayalam modernist poets

Education

Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College, Calicut
Degree: Pre-university (在学中退／政治活動で退学)
Country: India
Expelled during pre-university for involvement in left-wing politics; later continued studies at other colleges.
Malabar Christian College, Calicut
Country: India
Attended for pre-university/college-level studies.
University College, Trivandrum
Malayalam (Honours)
Degree: 学士（優等）
Country: India
Graduated with honours in Malayalam; exact year unknown.
Presidency College, Madras (Chennai)
Malayalam department (faculty) / Malayalam department
Country: India
Served on the faculty; association with M. Govindan influenced his study of Tamil.

Awards

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry
1996
Work: Attoor Ravi Varmayute Kavitakal
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram
1997
Organization: Asan Memorial (Asan Foundation)
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation
1997
Work: Oru Pulimarathinte Katha (translation)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Sahitya Akademi Award (Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award)
2001
Work: Attoor Ravi Varmayute Kavitakal
Organization: Sahitya Akademi (Kendra Sahitya Akademi)
Result: 受賞
P. Kunhiraman Nair Award
2005
Work: Attoor Ravi Varmayute Kavitakal (second part)
Organization: Kerala cultural organizations
Result: 受賞
Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
2012
Organization: Government of Kerala
Result: 受賞
Vani Samanvay Distinguished Translator Award
2015
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Vani Samanvay / Vani Foundation
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (Distinguished Fellow)
2017
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 選出
Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Deviprasadam Trust Award
2010
Organization: Deviprasadam Trust
Result: 受賞
Premji Award
Result: 受賞
E. K. Divakaran Potti Award
Result: 受賞
Mahakavi Pandalam Kerala Varma Kavitha Award
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Attoor Ravi Varmayute Kavithakal (1957–1994)

1995 Poetry

A collected anthology spanning decades, notable for its free-verse approach and role in pioneering modernism in Malayalam poetry.

Everyday lifeSocial motifsReligious and philosophical reflection
Translations
  • Some poems have been translated into English and other languages (details not specified)

Attoor Kavithakal (2012)

2012 Poetry

A collection including later works, further developing his free-verse technique.

Personal history and memorySocietal boundariesLanguage and translation

Oru Pulimarathinte Katha (translation)

1998 Novel (translation)

Translation into Malayalam of an early novel by Sundara Ramaswamy.

Linguistic crossing through translationDepiction of local societies

J. J. Chila Kurippukal (translation)

1998 Short pieces/notes (translation)

Translation of Sundara Ramaswamy's short pieces.

Prose-poetic fragmentsMemory and close observation

Bibliography

  • Kavitha
  • Attoor Ravi Varmayute Kavithakal (1957–1994)
  • Attoor Ravi Varmayute Kavithakal (1995–2003)
  • Malayalathinte priya kavithakal
  • Attoor Kavithakal (2012)
  • J. J. Chila Kurippukal (translation)
  • Oru Pulimarathinte Katha (translation)
  • Randaam Yaamangalute Katha (translation)

Adaptations

  • Maruvili - documentary film directed by Anvar Ali

Translations by Author

  • Numerous translations from Tamil into Malayalam (including works by Sundara Ramaswamy, Rajathi Salma, etc.)

Translations of Works

  • Selections of his poems have been translated into English and other languages (details vary).

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Free verse (non-metrical)Modernist expression
Recurring Motifs
Everyday minutiaeMemory and nostalgiaReferences to religious tradition (Bhakti poetry)

Health

  • Pneumonia
    2019（終末期）
    Hospitalized and treated; died following complications.

Legacy

Attoor Ravi Varma was a pioneer of modern Malayalam poetry, notable for introducing free verse and for significant translations from Tamil that promoted cross-linguistic literary exchange. He received many major Indian literary awards, including the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram.

Academic Societies

  • Kerala Sahitya Akademi

In Popular Culture

  • Documentary film 'Maruvili' (dir. Anvar Ali)
  • Television and web recordings of readings and interviews are available.

Trivia

  • In his youth he was involved in left-wing politics and was expelled from college for this involvement.
  • Among his students during his teaching career were future politicians Pinarayi Vijayan and A. K. Balan.
  • He translated numerous works from Tamil into Malayalam, including novels and poetry.
  • He translated Bhakti poems published in the vattezhuthu script.
  • A documentary on his life and poetry, 'Maruvili', was produced.