A tribute to MT, the master storyteller

Explore the influential works of M.T. Vasudevan Nair in Sreejith Perunthachan's insightful book, MT Enna Ekaksharam.

Many are the classics that have come from M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s pen over the last 70 decades. His novels, short stories, and screenplays have influenced the Malayali like no other writer.

Many are the books written about M.T., too. The more, the merrier. For, he is an extraordinary writer whose astonishing body of works deserves to be studied at depth.

Sreejith Perunthachan’s MT Enna Ekaksharam tries to take a close look at some of M.T.’s celebrated novels and short stories. Not surprisingly, the author has written at some length about Manju, which should count among the most lyrical novels in any language. The story of Vimala, a schoolteacher in Nainital waiting endlessly for the man she fell in love with, is sheer poetry, and it has no parallel in Malayalam. Sreejith reminds us of that fact when he quotes from Manju and analyses its craft.

Kalam is another great novel by M.T. that the readers have lapped up. It is also discussed in this book. As is Randamoozham, the brilliant retelling of Mahabharat, from Bheema’s point of view.

The book, published by Poorna Publications, Kozhikode, is not strictly a study of M.T.’s works — there are passages on his life and career as a writer as well as a reproduction of a lengthy interview. The author says the book is his tribute to M.T.

There is also a useful fact file of M.T.