Eleven new books, all on one man, being released on 11 successive days. That is not very usual.
They are about M.T. Vasudevan Nair, one of the most loved writers in Malayalam. The Kozhikode-based Haritham Books is bringing out the series of books, written by the likes of Punathil Kunjabdulla, Akbar Kakkattil, and Shathrughnan.
The first of those books, Ente M.T. , by Punathil, will be released by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the Police Club here on December 20. The following 10 days will see the release of the rest.
“This is also a tribute to M.T. by the city, where he has been living for the past few decades,” says Prathapan Thayat, editor, Haritham Books. “And what better tribute could there be to a great writer than books? I have been working on these for over a year.”
The books, penned, among others, by K. Sreekumar, Arun Poyyeri, and Prathapan, discuss M.T. as a novelist, short-story writer, script-writer, and editor. M.T. the person has also been written about at length by writers like Punathil, who recalls how he was encouraged as a budding writer by M.T., who was the editor of Mathrubhumi weekly.
Jayakumar too recollects his several interactions with the writer in Maunavalmeekam . “I am very happy to be part of this novel concept of honouring a writer,” says Jayakumar. “I cannot think of any other writer being honoured like this. But, of course, M.T. is different from all our writers; he is read by all kinds of readers, who belong to different generations.”
Prathapan says the release functions will have speeches on M.T. by eminent personalities on all days. “Writers U.A. Khader, V.R. Sudheesh, K.P. Sudheera, and Thoppil Mohammed Meeran, U.K. Kumaran, critic M.M. Basheer, historian M.G.S. Narayanan, and filmmakers K.R. Mohanan and Lal Jose will speak,” he said.
