Background
He was born in Punnayurkulam, Ponnani taluk in South Malabar on 7 October 1887.
He was born in Punnayurkulam, Ponnani taluk in South Malabar on 7 October 1887.
His oeuvre consists of poems, plays and translations. His best known works include Paavangal, a translation of Victor Hugo"s Les Misérables, and the elegy. He obtained English education from Kunnamkulam, Trichur and Calicut.
While he was 18, he met poet Vallathol and became his chief companion.
Vallathol"s influence is obvious in his early poems. Later he developed strong interest in Indian philosophy and religion and was influenced by the ideas of and Swami Vivekananda.
Most of his early prose works were on subjects related to Indian philosophy. Paavangal, a tanslation of Victor Hugo"s Les Misérables, was a milestone in the history of Malayalam literature and it set off a social reformation of sorts in Kerala.
Despite being a translation, it gifted Malayalam a new prose style.
Literary critic M. Leelavathy notes: "The translation was an extraordinary phenomenon as it prepared the ground for the Communist movement to take roots in Kerala. With its philosophy of human equality, the heart-wrenching tale of the oppressed left a profound impact in our society. Foreign East.M.S. Namboodiripad, this was Nalapatan"s best work.
Its influence was both sociological and philological.".