World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

ヴァイコム ムハンマド バシール

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

Aliases: Abdul Rahman Muhammad Basheer / ベイプール・スルターン
Pen Names: Beypore Sultan（Sobriquet; a popular epithet referring to his later-life association with Beypore）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-01-21 （Thalayolaparambu (near Vaikom), Travancore, British India (present-day Kerala, India)）
Died
1994-07-05 （Beypore, Kerala, India） age 87
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Malayalam
Religion
Islam
Residence History
Thalayolaparambu (birthplace) → Ernakulam → Beypore (residence later in life) → Travancore (then princely state)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Short story writer, Novelist, Freedom fighter
Active Years
1937-1994
Influenced By
Romain Rolland, John Steinbeck, W. Somerset Maugham, Guy de Maupassant, Maxim Gorky, Anton Chekhov, Ernest Hemingway, Pearl S. Buck, William Shakespeare

Education

Local Malayalam-medium primary school
Period: 不明（初等）
Country: India
Completed primary education locally; later attended an English-medium school in Vaikom
English-medium school, Vaikom
Period: 在学期間不明（中等）
Country: India
While at this school he met Mahatma Gandhi and became involved in the independence movement

Awards

Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
1970
Organization: Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
1970
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Padma Shri
1982
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Kerala State Film Award for Best Story
1989
Work: Mathilukal (Walls)
Organization: Government of Kerala
Result: 受賞
Lalithambika Antharjanam Award (inaugural)
1992
Organization: Lalithambika Antharjanam Smaraka Award
Result: 受賞
Muttathu Varkey Award
1993
Organization: Muttathu Varkey Award committee
Result: 受賞
Vallathol Award
1993
Organization: Vallathol Award committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Premalekhanam (The Love Letter)

1943 Novel (romantic comedy)

A humorous love story critiquing caste and religious conservatism; Basheer's early novel.

LoveCritique of social and religious conservatism
Adaptations
  • [Film] Premalekhanam (film) / P. A. Backer (1985) / Aneesh Anwar (2017 remake) (1985)
Translations
  • Available in English as The Love Letter

Balyakalasakhi (Childhood Companion)

1944 Novel (tragic romance) 75 pages

A tragic love story between Majeed and Suhra; regarded as one of the major works in Malayalam literature.

LovePovertyFate
Adaptations
  • [Film] Balyakalasakhi (1967, 2014 films) / J. Sasikumar (1967) / Pramod Payyannur (2014) (2014)
Translations
  • Translated into English and several other languages

Shabdangal (The Voices)

1947 Novel (social, darker themes)

Depicts violence and the seamy side of human existence; caused controversy on publication.

ViolenceSeamy aspects of societyHuman nature

Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu (My Grandad Had an Elephant)

1951 Novel (satire, social critique)

A critique of superstition and the value of education; translated into English (e.g., by R. E. Asher).

SuperstitionEducationSocial reform
Translations
  • English translation by R. E. Asher (and others)

Pathummayude Aadu (Pathumma's Goat)

1959 Autobiographical novel

An autobiographical book about family life; everyday episodes rendered with humour.

Family lifeEveryday lifeHumour

Mathilukal (Walls)

1965 Novel (prison life, tragic romance)

About prison life and a love that exists across a prison wall; adapted into a film by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

LonelinessFreedom and confinementLove
Adaptations
  • [Film] Mathilukal (1990 film) / Adoor Gopalakrishnan (1990)

Janmadinam (The Birthday)

1945 Short story / autobiographical

Autobiographical story about a writer struggling to feed himself on his birthday.

PovertyWriter's life

Bibliography

  • Premalekhanam (1943)
  • Balyakalasakhi (1944)
  • Shabdangal (1947)
  • Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu (1951)
  • Janmadinam (1945)
  • Pathummayude Aadu (1959)
  • Mathilukal (1965)
  • Many other short stories, essays and memoirs

Adaptations

  • Mathilukal (film) — directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan (1990)
  • Balyakalasakhi films (1967, 2014)
  • Premalekhanam films (1985; 2017 remake)
  • Bhargavi Nilayam (screenplay, 1964) and other film adaptations

Translations of Works

  • Works have been translated into 18 languages, including English

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Colloquial, accessible proseBlend of humour and pathosDeliberately non-standard grammar to reflect spoken language
Recurring Motifs
LoveHunger and povertyPrison life and politicsMarginalised characters (gamblers, thieves, prostitutes)Humanism and empathy

Health

  • Mental illness (paranoid episodes)
    1950年代（最初の入院）および1962年の再発
    He was admitted to sanatoriums twice; during one treatment he wrote Pathummayude Aadu. He recovered and continued writing.

Legacy

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer is a major figure in Malayalam literature; his colloquial, humane style appealed to both critics and the general public. His works have been widely translated and adapted for film and theatre.

Museums

  • Basheer Smaraka Trust exhibitions Exhibitions and related sites in Kerala

Academic Societies

  • Kerala Sahitya Akademi
  • Sahitya Akademi (India)

Archives

  • Held in archives of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and other literary collections

In Popular Culture

  • India Post released a commemorative postage stamp in 2009
  • Multiple film and theatre adaptations (e.g., Mathilukal, Balyakalasakhi)

Quotes

  • "I can readily say that I have not been influenced by any literature... when I started writing I had no idea of literature."
    Source: Essays and interviews (author's statement)

Trivia

  • His works have been translated into 18 languages.
  • Married Fathima (Fabi) in 1958; had two children, Anees and Shahina.
  • Often called the "Beypore Sultan" in later life.
  • Ran bookstalls in Ernakulam (Circle Bookhouse and Basheer's Bookstall).