Contents
O. V. Vijayan
Transforming Malayalam fiction with The Legends of Khasak.
The Legends of Khasak · The Saga of Dharmapuri
- Born
- 2 July 1930
- Birthplace
- Palakkad, India
- Died
- 30 March 2005
More people
O. V. Vijayan
O. V. Vijayan was an Indian novelist and cartoonist whose writing combined village life, political satire and spiritual questioning.
Early life
Home education
Ill health meant much of his childhood learning took place at home.
English literature
Studied at Victoria College and Presidency College, Madras.
Career
- 1953
First story
Published his first short story.
- 1950s
Teaching and journalism
Moved from college teaching into journalism and cartooning.
- 1969
First novel
Published the novel he had developed over twelve years.
Selected work
The Legends of Khasak
Follows a teacher’s troubled life in a village shaped by myth.
The Saga of Dharmapuri
Uses grotesque satire to examine authoritarian power.
The Infinity of Grace
Explores a journalist’s spiritual search.
Beyond work
Family
His sister O. V. Usha also became a Malayalam writer.
Translation
Translated his own fiction into English, reshaping it for another readership.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Madhuvijayan. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
