Malayalam novelist and short story writer Sarah Thomas dies at 88

Category : Obituaries Published on: April 04 2023

Share on facebook

Renowned Malayalam writer and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winner Sarah Thomas passed away in Thiruvananthapuram.
The 88-year-old, whose wide repertoire of literary works includes at least 17 novels and more than a hundred short stories, had been suffering from age-related ailments.
Sarah is best known for her novel Narmadipudava, for which she was presented with the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1979.
Her 1982 novel Daivamakkal, its protagonist a Dalit medical student, is considered a seminal work in Kerala’s Dalit literature.
It has been translated to English as Children of God by Sosanna Kuruvilla. In 2010, Sarah won a second Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for her contribution to Malayalam literature.
Her 1971 novel Murippadukal that got her noticed in the literary world.
Murippadukal was adapted into a film by filmmaker PA Backer as Manimuzhakkam in 1976, which went on to win critical acclaim and several awards including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film.