V. P. Sivakumar | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-05-15)15 May 1947 |
| Died | 27 July 1993(1993-07-27) (aged 46) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
| Occupation(s) | Short story writer, essayist, translator |
| Spouse | Geetha |
| Parents |
|
Vazhappilliyil Padmanabhan Nair Sivakumar (1947–1993), commonly identified asV. P. Sivakumar, was an Indian writer and translator, known for bringing in a new sensibility inMalayalam literature through his short stories. Besides four short story anthologies, he published a compilation of satirical articles and translated several works ofJorge Luis Borges andEugène Ionesco intoMalayalam.
V. P. Sivakumar was born on 15 May 1947 atMavelikkara, inAlappuzha district of the south Indian state ofKerala to Pozharamath Padmanabhan Nair and Thekke Vazhappilliyil Janaki Amma.[1] After completing his schooling inPandalam and Mavelikkara, he joinedSt. Berchmans College to earn a graduate degree from theUniversity of Kerala. Subsequently, he started his career in 1966 by joining the telephones department but his stay there was short as he was terminated from service for participating in a workers' strike. He utilised this opportunity to study further and after securing a master's degree in Malayalam with first rank, he worked as a lecturer in various government colleges in Kerala.[1]
Sivakumar was married to Geetha and the couple had two sons. He died on 27 July 1993, at the age of 46, succumbing tocancer.[1]
Sivakumar's body of work comprises four short story anthologies, starting with the 1979 publication,Thiruvithamkoor Kathakal, followed byKarayogamOtta andV. P. Sivakumarinte Kathakal.[2] He also publishedThalasthanathe Hanuman, a compilation of some of his satirical articles.[3]Borges Kathakal is an anthology of short stories ofJorge Luis Borges, translated into Malayalam by Sivakumar.[4] Three plays ofEugene Ionesco were also translated by him.[1] His writings have been subjected to study by several critics[5] andV. P. Sivakumar, written by D. Pradeep Kumar, is one among them.[6]Smarana (Remembrances), is afestschrift published on him in 2003.[7] A literary award,V. P. Sivakumar Memorial Keli Award, has been instituted in his honour and the recipients of the award includeK. R. Meera,[8]Subhash Chandran,[9]S. Hareesh[10] andAmbikasuthan Mangad.[11]
