Padmarajan Award (Padmarajan Puraskaram)
1 appearances
-
Edition 17 (2008) Winner
K. R. Meera
ケー・アール・ミーラ
K. R. Meera
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1970-02-19 （Sasthamkotta, Kollam district, Kerala, India）
- Nationality
- Indian
- Languages
- Malayalam, English
- Residence History
- Sasthamkotta (birthplace) → Kottayam, Kerala (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, Journalist, Screenplay writer, Columnist
- Active Years
- 1993-
- Influenced By
- E. V. Krishna Pillai, Kamala Das (Kamala Surayya), T. Padmanabhan, S. V. Venugopan Nair, Anand, M. Mukundan, C. V. Sreeraman, O. N. V. Kurup, Sugathakumari, Paul Zacharia, Maxim Gorky, Ayn Rand, Gabriel García Márquez
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewaswom Board College, Sasthamcotta | — | — | — | — | India |
| Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul | — | Communicative English (postgraduate) | 修士（Communicative English） | — | India |
Dewaswom Board College, Sasthamcotta
Country:
India
Completed pre-degree
Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul
Communicative English (postgraduate)
Degree:
修士（Communicative English）
Country:
India
Master's degree obtained (year unknown)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Lalithambika Sahitya Award | — | — | — | winner |
| 2004 | Gita Hiranyan Endowment Award | Ormayude Njarambu (short story collection) | — | Kerala Sahitya Akademi | winner |
| 2009 | Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Story) | Ave Maria (short story) | 短編 | Kerala Sahitya Akademi | winner |
| 2013 | Odakkuzhal Award | Aarachaar (novel) | — | — | winner |
| 2013 | Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Novel) | Aarachaar (novel) | 小説 | Kerala Sahitya Akademi | winner |
| 2014 | Vayalar Award | Aarachaar (novel) | — | — | winner |
| 2015 | Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award (Sahitya Akademi Award) | Aarachaar (novel) | — | Sahitya Akademi (India) | winner |
| 2016 | DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (shortlisted) | Hangwoman (English translation) | — | DSC Prize | shortlisted |
| 2018 | Muttathu Varkey Award | Aarachaar (novel) | — | — | winner |
Lalithambika Sahitya Award
2004
Result:
winner
Gita Hiranyan Endowment Award
2004
Work:
Ormayude Njarambu (short story collection)
Organization:
Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result:
winner
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Story)
2009
Work:
Ave Maria (short story)
Category:
短編
Organization:
Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result:
winner
Odakkuzhal Award
2013
Work:
Aarachaar (novel)
Result:
winner
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Novel)
2013
Work:
Aarachaar (novel)
Category:
小説
Organization:
Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result:
winner
Vayalar Award
2014
Work:
Aarachaar (novel)
Result:
winner
Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award (Sahitya Akademi Award)
2015
Work:
Aarachaar (novel)
Organization:
Sahitya Akademi (India)
Result:
winner
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (shortlisted)
2016
Work:
Hangwoman (English translation)
Organization:
DSC Prize
Result:
shortlisted
Muttathu Varkey Award
2018
Work:
Aarachaar (novel)
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Odakkuzhal Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 47 (2013) Winner
Vayalar Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 38 (2014) Winner
Muttathu Varkey Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 27 (2018) Winner
Works
Major Works
Aarachaar
2012 NovelSet around a family of executioners, the novel follows Chetna, a woman determined to inherit the profession, and explores lineage, ritual, power and gender across generations. Widely regarded as one of the major works in Malayalam literature.
Women's agencyPower and ritualFamily lineage
Adaptations
- [Translation] Hangwoman: Everyone Loves a Good Hanging (2014)
Translations
- English translation: Hangwoman: Everyone Loves a Good Hanging (translated by J. Devika, 2014)
Ave Maria
2008 Short story (collection)A collection of stories that probe the inner lives of women against Kerala's political and social backdrop; the title story earned the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009.
Inner lives of womenImpact of ideologyFamily fractures
Mohamanja
2004 Short story (collection)A collection exploring desire and longing; the title story was translated into English as Yellow is the Colour of Longing.
DesireLossIndividual and society
Translations
- English translation: Yellow is the Colour of Longing (translated by J. Devika, 2011)
Bibliography
- Ormayude Njarambu (short story collection, 2002)
- Sarpayajnam (short story collection, 2001)
- Mohamanja (short story collection, 2004)
- Ave Maria (short story collection)
- Aarachaar (novel, 2012)
- Meerasadhu
- Nethronmeelanam
- Meerayude Novellakal (collection of novellas, 2014)
Adaptations
- English translation of Araachaar: 'Hangwoman: Everyone Loves a Good Hanging' (2014, translated by J. Devika)
Translations of Works
- Mohamanja → Yellow is the Colour of Longing (English translation, 2011)
- Aarachaar → Hangwoman: Everyone Loves a Good Hanging (English translation, 2014)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist detail and vivid descriptionFeminist perspective in narrationConscious engagement with political and social issues
- Recurring Motifs
- Inner lives and agency of womenFamily history and the shadow of the pastPower, ritual and death
Legacy
K. R. Meera is considered one of the leading contemporary Malayalam writers; her works, especially focusing on women's inner lives and social power structures, have been widely acclaimed. 'Aarachaar' won multiple national awards and reached international readers through English translation.
Academic Societies
- Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Quotes
-
“Every writer is a political writer. It is very difficult for any writer to shut down from what is happening in and around society. And as a writer, we reflect on what's happening in society through our writing.”
Source: Interview (KochiPost / Jayaraman, 2020) (2020)
Trivia
- She was among the first female journalists hired at Malayala Manorama.
- Aarachaar sold more than 38,000 copies as of January 2015 (including editions and translations).
- As a journalist she won awards such as the PUCL Human Rights National Award (1998).