Priya A. S.

Priya A. S. (born 28 May 1967), born Priya Anandavalli Sadashivan, is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Her oeuvre encompasses short stories, children's literature, translations, and memoirs.^[1] She is a three-time recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and a recipient of the national Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize (2014) and the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar (2023).^[2][3]

She is best known for her translation of Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things into Malayalam, titled Kunju Karyangalude Odeythampuran. Roy herself has stated that although the novel has been translated into several languages, no other translation holds as much significance to her as the Malayalam version, as it is the language of the novel's central characters.^[4]

Priya A. S. was born on 28 May 1967 at Eramalloor, a village near Cherthala in Alappuzha district, Kerala, to K. R. Sadashivan Nair and Anandavalli, both of whom were teachers.^[5] Growing up in a household of readers, she developed an early appreciation for literature, encouraged by her parents and exposure to Malayalam classics during her formative years.^[6]

She had a difficult childhood owing to recurring illnesses, which confined her to hospital stays for extended periods. She has described how the experience of illness turned her towards reading and eventually writing as a means of engaging with the world beyond her immediate circumstances.^[7][6][8]

After completing her schooling at E.C.E.K Union High School, Kuthiyathodu, she enrolled at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, where she graduated with a degree in English literature.^[9] She subsequently obtained a master's degree through private study.

Priya worked in administrative positions at Mahatma Gandhi University before joining Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in Kochi, where she served for over two decades. She retired from CUSAT in 2023 as a section officer.^[10]

Priya entered the Malayalam literary scene during her college years at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, through short stories published in prominent Malayalam magazines. Her initial works appeared in the children's section of Mathrubhumi, including the story "Achan", which was later featured in Mathrubhumi Weekly. These early publications in the late 1980s and early 1990s drew attention from local literary circles for their simple yet evocative style. Senior students studying MA Malayalam at her college hostel recognized her from her children's magazine stories and offered encouragement, which she has credited as an early source of confidence.^[8]

Her debut short story anthology, Ororo Thirivukal (Various Turns), was published in 1994, marking the formal beginning of her literary career. Her subsequent collection, Manjamarangal Chuttilum (Yellow Trees All Around), published in 2002 by DC Books, compiled several of her stories exploring family dynamics and emotional currents in everyday life.

Priya A. S. has authored over ten short story anthologies in Malayalam, spanning from the 1990s to the present. Her fiction captures the nuances of everyday life, human relationships, and emotional depth, often portraying ordinary individuals navigating personal and social challenges in contemporary Kerala. Her writing is characterized by subtle psychological insight, empathetic observation, and relatable narratives rooted in social realism.

Her notable collections include Enthuppatti Ente Neelappoovinu (2008), Jagarooka (2015 edition; originally awarded in 2004), Pookkathirikkan Enikkavathille, and Violet Poochakalku Soo Vaikaan Thonnumpol (2017). Her stories frequently address themes of childhood experiences, women's lives, family bonds, societal pressures, and the inner worlds of individuals navigating difficult circumstances.^[11]

Priya A. S. is recognized as a significant literary translator who has introduced notable works of Indian English fiction to Malayalam readers.

Her most celebrated translation is Kunju Karyangalude Odeythampuran (2011), the Malayalam rendering of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things (1997), published by DC Books. Set in Kerala and dealing with themes of caste, forbidden love, and social taboos, the translation was praised for its authentic integration of local idioms and rhythmic patterns. Roy endorsed the translation as the most significant among all language editions of the novel.^[4] The translation earned Priya the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize in 2014. The award, consisting of a cash prize of ₹50,000, a plaque, and a shawl, was presented during a ceremony on 4 September 2015 at Rang Ghar auditorium in Dibrugarh University, Assam, where 24 translators from various Indian languages were honoured.^[2]

Her other significant translation work is Janmanthara Vagdhanangal (2001), the Malayalam version of Jaishree Misra's Ancient Promises (1999), also published by DC Books. The novel, which traces a woman's journey through arranged marriage, separation, and self-realization, addresses conflicts between tradition and modernity. Priya's translation of this work received the V. K. Unnikrishnan Smaraka Award for its sensitive handling of psychological nuances and cultural contexts.^[6]

Children's literature forms a substantial and acclaimed portion of Priya's body of work. She has stated that her entry into children's writing was unplanned, beginning with Chithrasalabhangalude Veedu (House of Painted Butterflies, 2008), published by DC Books. The work centres on a butterfly named Chitra, exploring life's lessons through the creature's journey in a natural setting, using the butterfly's adventures as a metaphor for personal discovery and environmental harmony. The collection won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 2006.^[12]

When her son Tanmoy was young, she captured his childhood in the collection Ammem Kunjunneem Kunjunneem Ammem, which received widespread recognition and won the Siddhartha Literary Award in 2012.^[13]

Her most celebrated children's work is the novel Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal (The Children Who Never Withered), published on 1 November 2018 by Poorna Publications as part of the Sammanapothi series edited by K. Sreekumar. The novel was inspired by the 2018 Kerala floods. While working at CUSAT during the floods, Priya witnessed the relief camps set up on campus by the university's Department of Instrumentation, where she observed children from diverse backgrounds displaying resilience and unity in the face of the natural disaster. She has stated that her original story idea was entirely transformed by the experience of the floods, and every life she observed at the relief camp became an inspiration for the novel.^[10][14] The novel's publication marked the inauguration of the children's literature section on IE Malayalam, the Malayalam news portal of The Indian Express.^[10]

Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 2020^[15] and the national Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2023, which carries a cash prize of ₹50,000 and an engraved copper plaque. The Malayalam jury for the 2023 award comprised Dr Paul Manalil, Mundoor Sethumadhavan, and B. S. Rajeev, who selected her novel from among ten recommended works.^[3][16]

Other children's works include Kathakatha Painkili, Ammem Kunjunnim Mookkurummi Mookkurummi (2017), and Tha Enna Aniyathikutty (2017).

Priya's memoirs form a significant part of her literary output, offering introspective narratives drawn from her personal experiences in Kerala, family dynamics, societal observations, and her lifelong engagement with literature. Her memoir collections include Ozhukkil Orila (2003), Maayakkaazhchakal (2006), Katha Bakki (2007), Fantas Minta (2017), and Thanmayam (2022, published by Mathrubhumi). Her memoir Ormmayanu Njan (2016), published by DC Books, is also a notable work in the genre.

Priya has a son, Tanmoy, also known as Kunjunni. Following her retirement from CUSAT in 2023, she resides in her ancestral home at Eramalloor in Alappuzha district.^[10]

^{[17][18][6][3][15]}

• List of Malayalam-language authors by category
• List of Malayalam-language authors
• Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature
• Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize

• Sreedevi K. Nair (2012). Ten Women Writers of Kerala. SSS Publications. pp. 20-. ISBN 978-81-902282-6-8.
• "ഫന്റാസ് മിന്റ: സ്വപ്നങ്ങളുടെ നീർക്കുമിളകൾ". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). Retrieved 29 March 2019.
• "ജീവിക്കാനും എഴുതാനും പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്നത് അക്ഷരങ്ങൾ: പ്രിയ എ എസ്". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). 12 January 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
• "പോക്കുവെയിലും പോയ ശേഷം: സ്‌നേഹത്തെ തിരയുമ്പോൾ". Asianet News (in Malayalam). 1 July 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2025.

• "Women Writers of Kerala - Priya A S". womenwritersofkerala.com. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
• DC Books (5 January 2011). "Priya A.S at DC Books International Book Fair". YouTube. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
• Kerala Freethinkers Forum - kftf (3 November 2016). "Life And Science Astonishing Me - Priya S". YouTube. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
• Priya A. S. at DC Books Store