Joseph Mundasseri- Makers of Indian Literature

For several generations of Malayalees who came to adulthood in and after the 1940's Joseph Mundasseri (1903-1977) had been Mundasseri Master', their closest approach to a master pedagogue. The foremost literary critic of his generation, Mundasseri was also known as a distinguished teacher, editor, scholar, educational thinker, legislator, orator, organizer, and administrator. He strode like a colossus on the literary scene in Malayalam for about four decades since the publication of his first major critical study, Maattoli in 1943. He authored about twenty books of literary criticism and an equal number of books of fiction and miscellaneous writing, all of which confronted the stereotypes of settled thinking in diverse ways. The present work is intended as an introduction to Mundasseri, and is meant primarily for the readers who have not yet made themselves familiar with the writings of this 'maker' of moden Malayalam literature.

Dr. P.P. Raveendran, bilingual critic, has specialized in literary theory and cultural studies. His critical studies in Malayalam include Edapedalukal (1977), Michel Foucault (1998) Adhunikanantaram (1999) and Samskara Padhanam: Oru Aamukham (2002). His published books in English are Poetry and the New Sensibility (1996) and Postmodernism: Positions and Perspectives (2000), and the edited volumes The Best of Kamala Das (1991) and The Best of Jayanta Mahapatra (1995). Dr. Raveendran is currently Professor of English and Dean, Faculty of Language and Literature at School of Letters, Mahatma Gandhi University, where he also co-edits the literary journal Haritham.

This book is an introduction to one of the foremost Malayalam writers of the twentieth century: Joseph Mundasseri. The birth centenary of this great literary critic is only a year away, in 2003. It is indeed a fitting tribute to the memory of Mundasseri that the Sahitya Akademi has chosen to publish this monograph on him by including him in the series on 'Makers of Indian Literature'.

Many of my friends helped in various ways while I was at work on this project. It will be difficult to acknowledge all of them here. Let me, however, thank the following: Prof. V. Aravindakshan and Dr. A. R. Vijayaraghavan for lending me the books in their possession on and by Mundasseri; Dr. K. M. Krishnan and Shri K. Radhakrishna Varrier for helping me with bibliographical details; and Sherine and Aparna for indulging me in my belief that as long as I was working on the book I was engaged in serious business.

**Contents and Sample Pages**