History of Malayalam Literature

Citation preview

History of Malayalam Literature P. K. Parameswaran Nair

SAHITYA AKADEMI NEW DELHI

This is a masterly survey, at once compact and comprehensive, scholarly and readable, of the origin and development of the language and literature of the people of Kerala. It was originally written in Malayalam by P. K. Parameswaran Nair and was published by the Sahitya Akademi in 1958 under the title Malay ala Sahitya Charitram. It has since been reprinted twice. The present English tran¬ slation has been prepared by E. M. J. Venniyoor, himself a scholar and writer of distinction. __ The birth place of the Adi Sankaracharya, Kerala has been a vital centre of the deve¬ lopment of Indian thought. Perhaps no other region in India has witnessed such a dynamic confluence of Dravidian and Sanskrit traditions, made more dynamic by the over¬ flow of Christian influence from beyond the seas. No less remarkable is the clash of current ideologies and the super-abundance of radical experimentation with thought and form in the contemporary literary scene. And yet very little of this old heritage or present achievement is known to readers in other Indian languages, particularly of northern India. It is therefore hoped that v this volume will help to fill this gap and will prove of as much interest to the general reader as to the student of comparative literature. This volume is part of a series of Standard Histories of Indian Literature sponsored by the Sahitya Akademi to enable readers all over India to share in common the wealth and variety of Indian literature written in any language. For other volumes in the Series, already published or in press, please see the back flap.

Cloth bound Rs. IS.00 Paper bound Rs. 12.50

* '4) ai

(as in height)

©

o

(as in so)

au

(as in house)

©D

(as in police)

CONSONANTS:

ga

(as in gallows)

©3

ha

(ng as in singing)

SLJ

ca

(as in chapter)

£3

ja

(as in Japan)

CTTD

na

(cerebral n with middle of tongue)

S

ta

C\JU

©J

kha (ka aspirated) gha (ga aspirated)

cha (ca aspirated)

(ou;

jha (ja aspirated)

(cerebral ta)

0

tha (ta aspirated)

da

(cerebral da)

CUD

dha (da aspirated)

6TD

na

(cerebral na)

(TT>

ta

(true dental)

LO

tha (ta aspirated)

a

da

(true dental da)

OJ

dha (da aspirated)

(D

na

(true dental na)

nJ

pa

(as in paternal)

aJD

pha (pa aspirated)

©1J

ba

(as in ball)

Q

bha (ba aspirated)

(2

ma

(as in maternal)

co;

ya

(as in yam)

(0

ra

(palatal r)

GJ

la /

(as in love)

OJ

va

(as in variety)

sa

( cerebral sh)

clD

ha

(

O

ra

(cerebral r)

CO

S3

(palatal sh)

oro

sa

(as in salute)

a

la

(cerebral