S. Hareesh wins Vayalar award for Meesha

Jury member Sara Joseph says Hareesh has introduced a unique narrative style and structure in his debut novel

Writer S. Hareesh has been selected for the 46 th Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award for his much-acclaimed novel Meesha (moustache).

The prestigious award was announced by Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust president Perumpadavam Sreedharan at a press conference here on Saturday. It carries a purse of ₹1 lakh, citation and a bronze statuette designed by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.

The jury committee that comprised writers Sara Joseph, V.J. James, and public health activist-artist V. Ramankutty chose the novel from among three literary works that were shortlisted from an initial pool of 219 works.

Ms. Joseph credited Mr. Hareesh with introducing a unique narrative style and structure in his debut novel that differed from other Malayalam novels. He also succeeded in pushing literary boundaries in fiction to create a multi-layered world of myths, folklore and fables against the backdrop of North Kuttanad.

The jury members held the opinion that the controversy Meesha had sparked when it was initially serialised in a magazine was trivial and uncalled for, since the novel raised larger questions about problems deeply entrenched in society.

The award will be presented at a ceremony that will be organised at the Nishagandhi auditorium on October 27 to coincide with the death anniversary of poet Vayalar Ramavarma.

Trust vice president G. Balachandran, members K. Jayakumar, Prabha Varma, and secretary B. Satheesan were also present during the press conference.