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N. S. Madhavan

エヌ・エス・マダヴァン

N. S. Madhavan

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-09-09 （Cochin (present-day Ernakulam, Kerala, India)）
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Malayalam

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Columnist, Indian Administrative Service officer
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Fellow)
Nominations
Man Asian Literary Prize (longlist), The Hindu Literary Prize (shortlist, English translation)

Education

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
Faculty of Economics / Department of Economics
Degree: Bachelor's (経済学)
Country: India
Undergraduate studies in economics. Later pursued postgraduate studies at University of Kerala.
University of Kerala
Department of Economics (postgraduate) / Department of Economics
Degree: Master's (経済学)
Country: India
Postgraduate studies in economics. Began writing during this period.

Awards

Padmarajan Award
1993
Work: Thiruthu
Organization: Padmarajan Award committee
Result: 受賞
Odakkuzhal Award
1994
Work: Higuita
Organization: Odakkuzhal Award committee
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story
1995
Work: Higuita
Category: 短編
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel
2004
Work: Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal
Category: 小説
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Muttathu Varkey Award
2009
Work: Higuita
Organization: Muttathu Varkey Award committee
Result: 受賞
Padmaprabha Literary Prize
2015
Organization: Padmaprabha prize committee
Result: 受賞
Crossword Book Award (Indian language translations)
2010
Work: Litanies of Dutch Battery (English translation of Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal)
Organization: Crossword Book Award
Result: 受賞
Mathrubhumi Literary Award
2018
Organization: Mathrubhumi
Result: 受賞
Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
2024
Organization: Government of Kerala (highest literary honour)
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
2013
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 授与
Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam Literary Award
2018
Organization: Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Higuita

1990 Short story

A short story inspired by Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita; the protagonist, a priest modeled on Higuita, abandons conventions and rescues a tribal girl from traffickers. The story explores modern uncertainties and moral ambiguities and is regarded as one of the notable Malayalam stories of its time.

Moral ambiguityTension between individual and societyUnconventional heroism
Adaptations
  • [Theatre (play)] Higuita: A Goalie's Anxiety at Penalty Kick / Sasidharan Naduvil
Translations
  • Higuita (included in various English anthologies and collections; individual translations into some languages)

Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal

2003 Novel

A novel set on an imaginary island in the Kochi backwaters, narrated by Jessica and covering her first sixteen years. The book presents the life of Latin Catholic coastal communities, intertwining micro-histories, colonial legacies and the randomness of historical events.

History and imaginationCollective memory of local communitiesColonial legacy
Translations
  • English translation: Litanies of Dutch Battery (translated by Rajesh Rajamohan, Penguin Books, 2010)

When Big Trees Fall

2004 Short story

A short story about the homicidal attacks on Sikhs that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi, exploring violence, trauma and social division.

Violence and memoryReligious divisionTrauma
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kaya Taran / Sashi Kumar (2004)

Bibliography

  • Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal (novel, 2003)
  • Chulaimedile Shavangal (short stories, 1994)
  • Thiruthu (short stories, 1996)
  • Nilavili (short stories, 2007)
  • Higuita (short stories collection)
  • Pancha Kanyakakal (short stories, 2015)
  • Randu Nadakangal (plays, 2006)
  • Puram Marupuram (essays, 2010)
  • Thalsamayam (essays, 2020)
  • Editor: Malayala Kadha - 60 Kadhakal (editorial collection, 2017)

Adaptations

  • Kaya Taran - 2004 Hindi film based on the short story 'When Big Trees Fall' (director: Sashi Kumar)
  • Stage adaptation of 'Higuita' (adapted by Sasidharan Naduvil and others)

Translations of Works

  • Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal → English: Litanies of Dutch Battery (translated by Rajesh Rajamohan, 2010)
  • Selected short stories translated into Tamil (e.g. Sarmishta)
  • Some works translated into Tamil, English and other languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narrative weaving micro-historiesBlend of social realism and imaginative elementsConcise prose with sharp observation
Recurring Motifs
Coastal community lifeHistory and personal memoryTensions between politics and religion

Legacy

N. S. Madhavan is an important contemporary Malayalam writer known for short stories and novels that sharply depict local history and social tensions. His work has reached wider audiences through translations and screen adaptations.

Academic Societies

  • Kerala Sahitya Akademi

In Popular Culture

  • Film 'Kaya Taran' based on the short story 'When Big Trees Fall'

Quotes

  • "N. S. Madhavan has rejuvenated Malayalam fiction."
    Source: M. Mukundan, review 'Epic Imagination: Review of Lanthanbatheriyile Luthinayakal' (The Little Magazine, 2003) (2003)

Trivia

  • Won a Mathrubhumi short story competition in 1970 for 'Shishu'.
  • Experienced a decade-long writer's block in the 1980s and re-emerged with 'Higuita' in 1990.
  • His daughter Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan is a well-known blogger and author.