 1984 edition | |
| Author | Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai |
|---|---|
| Translator | N. Sreekantan Nair |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | DC Books(Malayalam),Sahitya Akademi(English) |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Publication place | India |
Published in English | 1998 |
| Pages | 986 |
| Awards | Vayalar Award |
| ISBN | 9788171300716 |
Kayar (transl. Coir) is a 1978Malayalamepic novel byThakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. Widely considered one of the most seminal works inMalayalam literature,[1][2]Kayar received many major literary awards, including theVayalar Award.[3]
Set inKuttanad, the novel traces the evolution of the centralTravancore society from the early 19th century to the mid-twentieth century. It covers more than two centuries of Kerala life, encompassing six generations of characters. The historic transformation of man's relationship with land, with other men, with women and even God, forms the staple theme ofKayar.
The idea of a novel that contains the vignettes of social life in Kerala stayed in the author's mind for many years. "Two hundred and fifty years of Kerala life flowed past my mind's eye. But I needed a form. I could find no help from the Western classics," Thakazhi reminisces. For years he carried the "germ" inside his head. One night, as he lay sleepless in bed, theMahabharata epic with its episodic structure drifted into his mind as a possibility. The next day he started work on Kayar. It took him three years to complete the book.[4]
