Short Stories of Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar

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Short Stories of Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar comprises the English translation of nine Malayalam short stories of Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar (1861-1914). He was also known as Kesari Nayanar. Nayanar's very first story, "Vasanavikriti" (Thievery Inherited or Mischief by Instinct), is a sparkling piece of fiction that humorously uncovers the hollowness behind the tall claims of aristocratic lineage. Another notable work, "Dwaraka," is celebrated as a masterly piece of imagination, with descriptions bordering on what later developed as science fiction. The story "Who Killed Menokki?" artistically unravels the mystery behind the disappearance and eventual death of Salt Inspector Krishna Menokki. During the formative period of Malayalam fiction, common themes included train journeys, protagonists being hoodwinked, crime investigations, theft, and adventurous expeditions. Nayanar's stories, including the three mentioned and the remaining six in this volume, provide ample proof of his powerful treatment of these themes. Overall, this collection showcases Nayanar's significant contributions to the early days of Malayalam literature, demonstrating his outstanding creativity and narrative technique. He is renowned for writing the first-ever short story in Malayalam literature, and was indeed a man of many parts who made significant contributions to Malayalam literature, agricultural science, gender equality and social emancipation. He is recognised as the first writer who inaugurated the genre of short story in Malayalam literature.

K.M. Ajir Kutty is a bilingual writer, translator, poet, and publisher in Malayalam and English. His translations in English have been published widely. He won the M.P. Kumaran Memorial Award for Translation in 2009 from the Kerala State Institute of Languages. Apart from translating into English several well-known Malayalam authors including Mahakavi Kumaran Asan and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, he has taken the lead in introducing Kerala's Mappila literature to the English-speaking people at large through his translations. Ajir was chosen for the Jibananda Das Award for Translation 2022 at a poetry translation competition jointly conducted by The Antonym Magazine and the Bhasha Samsad, Kolkata.