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E. Santhosh Kumar

イー・サントーシュ・クマール

E. Santhosh Kumar

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1969 （Pattikkad, Thrissur, Kerala, India）
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Malayalam
Residence History
Pattikkad, Thrissur, Kerala, India

Career

Occupations
Writer
Active Years
1998-

Awards

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story
2006
Work: Chaavukali (short story collection)
Category: 短編
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Nooranad Haneef Memorial Novel Award
2012
Work: Andhakaranazhi
Category: 長編
Organization: Nooranad Haneef Memorial Committee
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel
2012
Work: Andhakaranazhi
Category: 長編
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Vayalar Award
2025
Work: Thapomayiyude Achhan
Organization: Vayalar Trust
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Amusement Park

2002 Novel

One of his early full-length novels. It explores characters' psychology and social frictions set against suburban and urban backdrops.

urban lifelonelinesshuman relationships

Vaakkukal

2007 Novel

A mid-2000s work that weaves themes around language and expression across novella to novel length.

expressionlanguageidentity

Kaakkaradesathe Urumbukal

2009 Novel

A novel addressing community and memory, set against the social landscape of Kerala.

memorycommunity

Andhakaranazhi

2011 Novel

A novel that thematizes darkness—both visual and psychological. Winner of the 2012 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel.

darknesspsychologyalienation
Translations
  • Island of Lost Shadows (English translation, 2015)

Jnanabharam

2020 Novel

A recent novel exploring memory, knowledge, and the individual's inner life.

memoryinterior life

Thapomayiyude Achhan

2024 Novel

Published in 2024; deals with father–family relationships and generational tensions. Winner of the 2025 Vayalar Award.

familyintergenerational conflict

Galapagos

2000 Short story collection

An early short story collection containing some of the author's first published stories.

alienationdefamiliarization of the everyday
Translations
  • Stories included in A Fistful of Mustard Seeds (English translation, 2019)

Chaavukali

2006 Short story collection

One of his notable short story collections. Winner of the 2006 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story.

social marginalityhuman frailty

Bibliography

  • Galapagos (2000)
  • Amusement Park (2002)
  • Moonnu Andhanmaar Aanaye Vivarikkunnu (2003)
  • Chaavukali (2006)
  • Moonnu Viralukal (2008)
  • Vaakkukal (2007)
  • Kaakkaradesathe Urumbukal (2009)
  • Neechavedam (2010)
  • Andhakaranazhi (2011)
  • Island of Lost Shadows (English translation, 2015)
  • Kathakal: E Santhosh Kumar (2013)
  • Ente Priyappetta Kathakal (2018)
  • A Fistful of Mustard Seeds (English translation, 2019)
  • Narakangalude Upama (2019)
  • Jnanabharam (2020)
  • Pasupatham (2021)
  • Thapomayiyude Achhan (2024)

Translations of Works

  • Island of Lost Shadows (English translation of Andhakaranazhi, 2015)
  • A Fistful of Mustard Seeds (English translation of selected short stories, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
contemporary Malayalam literary styleminute psychological descriptionnarration that moves between realism and symbolism
Recurring Motifs
lonelinessalienationdarkness/lightmemory

Legacy

E. Santhosh Kumar is a Malayalam writer who emerged around the turn of the 21st century and has been acclaimed for both short stories and novels. He has received multiple Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards and holds an important place in regional literature.

Trivia

  • He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2006 (story) and 2012 (novel).
  • His first short stories were published in the late 1990s and he rose to prominence in the early 2000s.
  • Some works have been translated into English, bringing his writing to a wider audience.