Dangerpanditankit at 03:58, 29 December 2025

2025-12-29T03:58:09Z

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{{short description|Indian writer (1871–1936)}}
'''Ambadi Narayana Poduval''' (1871–1936) was a [[Malayalam|Malayalam-language]] short story writer from [[Kerala]], India. Along with [[Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar]], [[Oduvil Kunhikrishna Menon]], [[Moorkoth Kumaran]], [[Chenkulath Cheriya Kunhirama Menon]] (M. R. K. C.) and [[C. S. Gopala Panicker]], Poduval is regarded as a pioneer of the short story in [[Malayalam literature]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Brief Survey of Malayalam Literature: History of Literature |author=[[K. M. Tharakan]] |publisher=National Books |date=1990 |page=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nhkAAAAMAAJ |quote=The pioneers of the short-story in Malayalam were Vengayil Kunju Raman Nayanar, Oduvil Kunjukrishna Menon, C. S. Gopala Panikkar, Ambadi Narayana Poduval, Chakulath Kunjirama Menon (M. R. K. C.) and Murkoth Kumaran.}}</ref>

==Life==
Poduval was born in 1871 in [[Trichur]]. His father Seshayar was a lawyer. Parvathi Poduvalsyar was his mother. Kunhikrishna Poduval, a poet at that time, was his relative.<ref name="Ulloor">{{Cite book |title=Kerala Sahithya Charithram |author=[[Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer]] |chapter= 63.1 |url=https://archive.org/details/kerala-sahitya-charitram-vol-1-ulloor-1953-ku |chapter-url= http://ax.sayahna.org/ulloor/ulloor-5-63.html |publisher=University of Travancore |date=1953 |language=ml}}</ref> He joined Trichur Hindu High School and passed the matriculation exam. Later, he entered the government service while still an intermediate student in Cochin. After a long period of government service, he retired while serving as Sub-Registrar in 1926. He died on 15 July 1936 at [[Peringavu]] near Trichur.<ref name="Ulloor"/>

==Writing==
Poduval started his literary life as a poet. His first poem ''Kavimrigavali'' was published in ''[[Vidyavinodini]]''.<ref name="Ulloor"/> Poduval soon started writing stories, which was still budding as a genre in Malayalam literature. In an essay written in 1935, Poduval stated that he desired to become a good short story writer long back and he is still eager to achieve that dream.<ref name="Ulloor"/> Poduval collected his short stories and published them in three volumes under the name ''Kathasaudham''.<ref name="Ulloor"/> Apart from that, his books include a play called ''Mochanam'' and a novel called ''Keralaputran''.<ref name="Ulloor"/> The novel ''Keralaputran'' is set during the [[Chera Perumals of Makotai|reign of the Perumals]] and tells the story of the Chera prince Imayakumaran and Chola princess Pulomaja, the daughter of [[Karikala]].<ref name="Ulloor"/> The play ''Mochanam'' is set in the backdrops of the 18th century [[Zamorin]] rule in Trichur and its narrative style is inspired by [[Walter Scott]]'s ''[[The Bride of Lammermoor]]''.<ref name="Ulloor"/>

Poduval is regarded as one of the pioneers of the short story in [[Malayalam literature]]. Literary critic [[K. M. George (writer)|K. M. George]] writes in his book ''A survey of Malayalam literature'': "Ampadi Narayana Poduval was a conscious artist, who took special care to write in chiselled and resonant prose. His stories are pleasant reading, but they do not make a deep impression on the readers, and they lack unity of design, so important in a short story."<ref>{{cite book |author=[[K. M. George (writer)|K. M. George]] |title=A survey of Malayalam literature |date=1968 |publisher=Asia Publishing House |location=Bombay |page=183 |edition=1st}}</ref> [[P. K. Parameswaran Nair]] writes in his book ''History of Malayalam Literature'': "The stories of Ambady Narayana Poduval give the impression that their author was devoted more to beautifying the language than to the course of the events or the realism of the characters." Nair also observes that of all the early short stories in Malayalam, those of Poduval make a pleasant reading even today.<ref>{{Cite book|title=History of Malayalam Literature|author=[[P. K. Parameswaran Nair]]|publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]]|location=[[New Delhi]]|year=1967|translator=E. M. J. Venniyoor|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmalayal0000unse|page=141}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book |title=Kathasaudham: Part 1 | publisher=Bharata Vilasam |location=Trivandrum |date=1923 |postscript=. (Collection of 13 short stories; With an introduction by Appan Thampuran)}}
* {{Cite book |title=Kathasaudham: Part 2 | publisher=Bharata Vilasam |location=Trivandrum |date=1923 |postscript=. (Collection of 9 short stories)}}
* {{Cite book |title=Kerala Putran | publisher= |location= |date=1924 |edition=3 |postscript=. (Novel; With an introduction by [[Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer]])}}
* {{Cite book |title=Kshatra Prabhavam | publisher=Ramanuja |location=Trichur |date=1927 |postscript=. (Translation of the work ''Prathapa Simhan'')}}
* {{Cite book |title=Kathasaudham: Part 3 | publisher=Ramanuja |location=Trichur |date=1934 |edition=2 |postscript=. (Collection of 10 short stories)}}
* {{Cite book |title=Mochanam Athava Chiruthakundile Pothottam | publisher=Ramanuja |location=Trichur |date=1935 |postscript=. (Play)}}

==References==
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[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1936 deaths]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language writers]]
[[Category:Malayalam short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian short story writers]]
[[Category:Indian male short story writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian essayists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Short story writers from British India]]

Ambadi Narayana Poduval - Revision history

Dangerpanditankit at 03:58, 29 December 2025