Novelist V.V. Ayyappan, who is better known “Kovilan,” has been selected for this year's Mathrubhumi Literary Award instituted by the Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Company Limited.
The award comprises Rs. 2 lakh in cash, a citation and a plaque. The winner was selected by a jury headed by writer C. Radhakrishnan as chairman and writers M. Mukundan and M.N. Karassery as members, Mathrubhumi managing director M.P. Veerendrakumar and managing editor P.V. Chandran said in Kozhikode.
“Kovilan” was selected for his contribution to the Malayalam literature. The jury noted the vast geographical background of his novels, from the Army camps to the Himalayas to kole fields in Thrissur.
Born in 1923 at Kandanassery in Guruvayur, Thrissur District, “Kovilan” had won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 1972 and 1977 and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award in 1998. He is also the recipient of the Ezhuthachan Award, the highest literary award instituted by the Kerala government in the name of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, father of modern Malayalam language, in 2006.
