O V Vijayan

Writer

Ootupulackal Velukkuty Vijayan (July 2, 1930-March 30, 2005) was an Indian author and cartoonist, an important figure in modern Malayalam literature.

Vijayan wrote his first short story, "Tell Father Gonsalves", in 1953. He went on to write five novels and translated some of his own work into English. His first and most famous novel, Khasakinte Ithihasam (The Legends of Khasak, 1969) tells the story of a teacher named Ravi dispatched to a newly created school in remote Khasak. He brought about a sea-change in Malayalam literature with this novel: so much so that it can be divided into pre-Khasak and post-Khasak eras, named after Vijayan's pioneering first novel. The former era was romantic and formal; the latter is modernist, post-modernist and post-post-modernist, with tremendous experimentation in style and content. In a way, Vijayan released Malayalam fiction writing from the shackles of tradition. He wrote many other short stories, essays and satire. He was also an editorial cartoonist whose works appeared in various news publications including The Statesman and the Far Eastern Economic Review. He worked for The Hindu also.

Vijayan struggled with Parkinson's Disease for 10 years and finally succumbed to organ failure in a Hyderabad hospital at age 75. His wife Dr. Teresa Vijayan died a year after his death. Their son Madhu Vijayan lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Novels

Khasakinte Itihasam , Dharmapuranam, Gurusagaram, Madhuram Gayathi , Pravachakante Vazhi , Thalamurakal