The term Malayalam literature pertains to the literature written in the Malayalam language. Malayalam is the language spoken virtually by almost thirty million people, principally the dwellers of the state of Kerala and the union territory of Lakshwadeep Islands. Malayalam as a language comes under the Dravidian language family and thus bears intimate relations with the other Dravidian languages, particularly Tamil. When viewed from the historical phenomenon, Kerala had been friendly and sympathetic to foreign influence and this has had affected and touched deeply upon Malayalam literature too, which invariably has matured and evolved with time.
History of Malayalam literature is generally classified and separated into three phases. The first is counted as the phase of retreating Tamil ascendancy and forward-moving Sanskrit influence. `Elitist` poets of the age were hugely inquisitive to introduce Sanskrit literary forms like Champu and Sandesa Kavya and Sanskrit-oriented linguistic and stylistic introductions and initiations. On the one hand, an uncanny recoiling within erotic themes and on the other, a magnification of the resources of language and style could be witnessed. The succeeding period witnessed the birth of sage-poets, for whom poetry was an exceedingly solemn enterprise with a high-ceilinged moral rationale. These men had amalgamated and integrated the `formal` accomplishments of the former age of Malayalam literature and veered towards the Puranas for dignified and righteous themes. Malayalam poetry reached its zenith of grandeur during this phase, manifestly influenced by Bhakti renaissance and united with the mainstream of national literature. The third phase is marked by the incredible bang of `liberal-democratic spirit` which arrived in the consequence of the first encounter with the west and distribution and propagation of modern education. It can also be observed that modern and innovative radical ideologies started to wield influence upon writers. The origin and development of the art of prose, circularisation of journalism, birth of avant-garde forms such as fiction, drama, lyric and literary criticism, could be witnessed gradually. In the present decades of unmatched curiosity and gusto, the visualisation broadens and creativity assays novel pastures. Prose takes preference over verse and becomes the medium for both `imaginative creation` and `intellectual exploration`. Systematic studies of growth and structure of Malayalam language as well as of modern literary genres, can also be viewed in a panoptic sense.
The early period of Malayalam literature (precisely, prior to the 15th century) consisted of - (i) The Pacha-Malayalam stream, by which the literary expression in pure Malayalam without any admixture is intended (e.g Bhadrakali Pattu and Pulluvan Pattu), (ii) The Tamil stream (Malayalam with liberated utilisation of Tamil words (e.g. Kannassa Ramayanam and Bharatamala)) and, (iii) The Sanskrit stream (Sanskritised Malayalam). The first stream consists of ballads and folk songs, which are knotty and complicated to date. Songs associated with religious customs and rituals such as Bhadrakali Pattu, Thiyattupattu, Sastrakali, Thottampattu and in the later point of time, Margamkalipattu are substantial varieties. Then there also existed the umpteen assorted festive songs like Onappattu and Krishipattu and ballads of North Malabar and South Malabar.
In the Tamil stream (pattu school) the most outstanding work is considered as Ramacharitham (12th century A.D.) composed in a language, which is an admixture of Tamil and Malayalam; such admixing happens in the domain of grammar as well. After this brilliant long poem, one is handed with the works of Niranam poets, Kannasa Ramayanam, Bhagavad Gita and Bharatamala. The Niranam poets (Kannassan group) within Malayalam literature were nifty and grand scholars and represented literary luminescence.
One of the earliest prose works in Malayalam literature was Bhasa Kautaliyam, belonging to the 12th century. The other early prose works include: Brahmanda Puranam, Ambarisopakhyanam, Dutavakyam and Nalopakhyanam. Cherusseri Namboodiri was the first life-size and prominent name in Malayalam literature, whose work Krishna Gatha (15th century) is deemed as one of the chefs-d`oeuvre in pure Malayalam bliss. He was followed by the celebrated Malayalee poet, Tunchattu Ramanuja Ezhuttachchan during the 17th century, who had made household a verse form referred to as Kilippattu. His Adhyatma Ramayanam, Uttara Ramayanam, Bharatam, Harinama Kirttanam and Bhagwatam are always counted amongst the great unforgettable classics in Malayalam. Tullal or dance drama also had germinated as a new literary kind during the 18th century, which had themes based upon the Epics and the Puranas.
Due to the incredible endeavours of the Namboodiris, the powerful feudal aristocrats of Kerala, Aryan Sanskrit had almost replaced Malayalam in its own land. The Mani-pravalam or `ruby and coral style` was the child of such a pile-up, a style which meant employing as many Sanskrit words as was possible. The linguistic result of the two dominions, however, had been a well-chosen one; the orchestral resources of Malayalam literature have been immeasurably enriched. But while Tamil and Sanskrit took turns in destroying their authority, a third kind of Malayalam had evolved and survived - the `pure Malayalam`. This was the folk stream of lullabies, wedding songs and requiems, which flowed through the centuries and became a crucial source of Malayalam literature later. This pure Malayalam possessed Christian and Muslim elements too. The Kathakali dance form, which is legendary the world over, traces its roots in this folk culture of Kerala.
Such movements went on, until Cherusseri Namboodiri steered his attention towards pure Malayalam literature and penned Krishna Gatha in early 15th century. This was again followed by a generation of campu compositions, which was an admixture of prose and verse with a liberal sprinkling of Sanskrit words. The themes were generously and cleverly borrowed from the great Sanskrit epics and Puranas. As late as the 17th century, the first big Malayali poet, Tunchattu Ramanuja Ezhuttachchan adopted the Sanskrit alphabet in place of Malayalam`s incomplete one. A new literary type arose in the 18th century, the Tullal or dance drama, which again dipped into the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas for themes.
Even Sanskrit languages and literature had an overriding and forever influence of the native language of Kerala, i.e. Malayalam literature at large. Such an act has resulted in a atypical and queer variety of literary dialect called Manipravalm and hence this stream is also referred to by this name. Lilatilakam (from 14th century) is the earliest recorded book, dealing with particular aspects of Malayalam grammar, dedicating most of its space to the grammar and rhetoric of Manipravala compositions. Such compositions fall under two principal literary forms, namely - Sandesha Kavyas and Champus. Amongst the many Sandesha (literally standing for `message`) poems in Malayalam literature, the most outstanding is Unnunili Sandesam (14th century), whose authorship however remains unknown to this date. The most well known early Champus comprise the Unniyaticharitam and Unnichirutevi charitham.
The three above-mentioned streams were influencing each other in a complementary manner and by the 15th century (approximately), a great poem titled Krishna gatha, composed in a blended dignified style, represented to be neither too highbrowed nor too low-browed. Cherussery Nambudiri is credited as the author of this long poem, dedicated to Lord Krishna. Throughout the whole range of Malayalam literature, there is no personality who could come way near to Ezhuthachan (16th century) in the grandeur and stateliness of poetic quality. His Adhyatma Ramayanam, Bharatham and Bhagavatham are truly personified greatest classics in the Malayalam language, which still is almost an understatement. Kilipattu is the name given to the form of verse he has made popular. The Pattu of the Kili signifies `parrot song` and in this literary form, Ezhuthachan has made use of a style, which has set the standards for all time to come in Malayalam literature. His Ramayana and Mahabharata are great Bhakti poems in the said language.
Till approximately the 18th century Kilipattu, Champu and Sandeshakavya compositions under Malayalam literature had been produced by many a poet in Kerala. The Attakkatha and Tullal compositions have enriched Malayalam verse in a significant and considerable way. Attakatha is the literature form used for the well-known Kathakali dance performance. Ramanattam by Kottarakara Tampuran is the first ever full-fledged Attakatha (referring to autobiography). The great masters of this literary form consist of Kottayathu, Thampuran (Bakavadham, Kalakeya vadham etc.) Unnayi Variyar (Nalacharitham - four days) and Erayimman Thampi (Uttaraswayamvaram, Dakshayagam etc). Tullal is a more popular art form and the genre possesses a considerable amount of good literature in Malayalam language. This branch of literature is associated with the name of Kunchan Nambiyar, considered an unrivalled master to this date. He owns approximately 45 Tullal pieces to this credit; Tullal still attracts and arrests great mass appeal in contemporary Indian times.
Malayalam literature can evidently claim to possess a fairly prolonged history of prose writings. Anthasastra (the immortal treatise on statecraft and economic policies by Kautilya or Chanakya) had been adapted into Malayalam prose in approximately the 13th century. Then again, the Attaprakaram, Kramadeepika and Dutavakyam, considered the avant-garde of those times in prose, have been assigned to the period within 14th and 17th century. Varthamana Pusthakam by Paremmakal Thoma Kattanar serves as a travelogue penned about a journey to Rome (1776-86), scripted in lucid and simple Malayalam, arresting tremendous attention. This is conceived to be the earliest travelogue written in any Indian language, that too in an extremely refined and polished manner. The first and original novel in Malayalam literature was T. M. Appu Netunnati`s Kundalata (1887), but more popular and well-liked was Chantu Menon`s Indulekha (1889). By mid 19th century, missionaries like Bailey and Gundert had begun to compile dictionaries, penning grammars and arranging translation of the Bible into Malayalam language.
Poets and scholars like Kerala Varma and Rajaraja Varma had paved the way for an abiding and enduring `renaissance` in Malayalam literature. Chandu Menon`s social novels (Indulekha and Sarada) and C.V. Raman Pillai`s historical novels (Marthanda Varma, Ramaraja bahadur and Dharmaraja) are unanimously deemed and declared outstanding classics in literature in the Malayalam language. The contribution of the `great-trio` Kumaranasan, Vallathol Narayana Menon and Ullor. S. Parameswara Iyer, has profoundly and intensely enriched Malayalam literature by their writings in verse and prose. This has been, since long years announced the golden period in modern Malayalam poetry.
Kotungallur (in North Kerala) and Trivandrum (in South Kerala) were the two most significant life blood centres of literary activities in Malayalam literature, during the second half of the 19th century. Some of the leading Malayali poets of the 19th and 20th centuries comprise: Venamani Nambudiripad, Kerala Varma, Kottarattil Sankunni, K.C. Kesava Pillai, K. K. Raja and N. Balamaniyamma. The important translational works of this period include Valiya Koyil Tampuran`s Shakuntala (1881), Kunnikkuttan Tampuran`s Hamlet and Mahabharata and Vallattol Narayana Menon`s Ramayana (1878). Later there alighted upon the scenario poets like G. Sankara Kurup, who won the first Gyanpith Award and Changapuzha Krishna Pillai, Vailoppilli Sreedhara Menon, N.V. Krishna Warrier, O.N.V. Kurup, Vayalar Rama Varma.
There even existed in a prolific manner fiction writers like Kesavadev, Thakazhi (winner of Gyanpith Award), Muhammed Basheer, Ponkunnam Varki, S.K. Pottekkad, (Gyanpith Award), P.C. Kuttikrishnan, Daroor, Kavoor, K. Sundhareshan, Parapurathhu, and M.T. Vasudevan Nair (Gyanapith Award, 1996). This very list in Malayalam literature included playwrights like E.V. Krishna Pillai, Thoppil Bhasi, N.N. Pillai, T.N. Gopinathan Nair, K.T. Muhammad, C.J. Thomas, G. Sankara Pillai, C.N. Sreekantan Nair and critics like P.K. Narayana Pillai, Kuttikrishna Marar, M.P. Paul, Mundassery, Sukumar Azhikode, M. Govindan, S. Guptan Nair, M.Krishnan Nair, K.P. Appan and M.N. Viyanan.
Some of the later and legendary novelists in Malayalam literature consisted of Vennayil Kunniraman Nayanar, Appan Tampuran, V. K. Kunnan Menon, Ambati Narayana Potuval and C. P. Achyuta Menon, who indeed had grounded the present day Malayalam prose style. Vaikkom Mohammad Bashir is one of the most loved literary figures of Kerala. Some poets of the modern school of Malayalam literature comprise Kumaran Ashan, G. Sankara Kurup, K. K. Raja, Channampuzha Krishna Pilla and N. Balamaniyamma. As the state with the highest literacy rate in India, Kerala is one of the most intellectual centres of the country. It is just the place for literature and littérateurs today.
