Mythu09 at 17:32, 3 October 2025

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{{Short description|Indian translator}}
{{for|Karnataka politician|K. B. Prasanna Kumar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = K. B. Prasannakumar
| image = KB Prasannakumar.JPG
| imagesize =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Vembally near [[Kuravilangad]], [[Kottayam District]], [[Kerala]]
| death_place =
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| nationality = Indian
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Translator, literary critic
| movement =
| notable_works =
| spouse =
| children =
| awards = {{bullet list|[[Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize]] (2011)|[[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation]] (2011)}}
| influences =
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}}
'''K. B. Prasannakumar''' is an Indian [[Malayalam]] language writer, literary critic and translator. In 2011, he won both [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] and the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]] for translation. He received the [[Kerala State Institute of Children's Literature]] Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair Award for Literary Criticism in 2012 for his book ''Athijeevikkunna Vakku''

==Biography==
K. B. Prasannakumar is a native of Vembally near [[Kuravilangad]] in [[Kottayam district]] of Kerala.<ref name="darsana">{{Cite web |title=ഭൂർജ്ജവനങ്ങളിലെ അന്നം |url=https://darsana.in/magazine/bhoorjjavanangalile_annan/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719154730/https://darsana.in/magazine/bhoorjjavanangalile_annan/index.html |archive-date=2025-07-19 |access-date=2025-07-20 |website=darsana.in |language=ml}}</ref> His father is K.P. Bhaskara Kaimal and mother K. Thanka.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |title=കെ.ബി.പ്രസന്നകുമാർ - Sayahna |url=https://ml.sayahna.org/index.php/%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%86.%E0%B4%AC%E0%B4%BF.%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%B8%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%AE%E0%B4%BE%E0%B5%BC |access-date=2025-07-20 |website=ml.sayahna.org |language=en}}</ref> He studied at Kumaranalloor Devi Vilasam High School and [[Deva Matha College, Kuravilangad]].<ref name="Manorama">{{cite news |title=അതിരില്ലാ വായനസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം തരും വീട്ടിലെ ലൈബ്രറി |url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/district-news/kottayam/2024/06/19/library-at-home.html |work=[[Malayala Manorama]] |language=ml}}</ref> He graduated in Physics and obtained a postgraduate degree in Malayalam. He retired as an officer at [[State Bank of India]].<ref name="darsana" />

Prasannakumar and his wife Radhika, who is an employee in LIC, have one daughter.<ref name="darsana" />

==Literary contributions==

===Literary criticism===
Prasannakumar became interested in literary criticism when he began serious reading in the early nineteen eighties.<ref name="Samakalika">{{Cite web |last=പ്രസന്നകുമാര്‍ |first=കെ ബി |date=2023-05-18 |title='യാത്രയിലെ ഉള്‍ക്കാഴ്ചകളാണ് എഴുതാന്‍ ശ്രമിക്കാറ്, അത് കവിതയുമായി ചേര്‍ന്നുനില്‍ക്കുന്നു, ഉള്ളിലൂടെ ഒരു ഗംഗ' |url=https://www.samakalikamalayalam.com/malayalam-vaarika/essays/2023/May/18/i-try-to-write-the-insights-of-the-journey-177938.html |access-date=2025-07-19 |website=Samakalika Malayalam - The New Indian Express |language=ml}}</ref> Then he started writing literary criticism articles in the Samathalam magazine.<ref name="Samakalika" /> His first article was on [[P. Kunhiraman Nair]]'s poem ''Kaliyachan''. He then wrote many other articles in the eighties and nineties and wrote a book called ''Athijeevikkunna Vakku'' (Meanig: The Surviving Word).<ref name="Samakalika" />

===Travelogues===
Prasannakumar, who has made several trips to the [[Himalayas]], never intended to write a book about his travels, but he had written travel articles in local newspapers and magazines.<ref name="Hindu">{{Cite news |date=2010-07-18 |title=A very personal 'Himalayan' affair |url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/money-and-careers/A-very-personal-Himalayan-affair/article16201666.ece |access-date=2025-07-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Later, [[DC Books]] commissioned him to edit a book on Himalayan travels, ''Himalayam: Kazhcha, Darshanam''.<ref name="Hindu" /> This was his first work on travel.<ref name="Hindu" /> The other travel books he wrote include ''Uttarakhand: Himalaya Devabhoomi'' (Manorama Publication, 2009), an anthology of poems on travel titled ''Sanchi'', ''Malakalile Kattu Parayaunnathu'' (Prabhatham Book House, 2010), ''Himavazhiyile buddha sanchaarangal'' (Mathrubhumi Books, 2013; 2018), ''Jalakkannady'' (Ivory publishing house , 2020) and ''Sivam panchakedaram'' (Mathrubhumi Books, 2012) a travelogue on [[Panch Kedar]].<ref name="Hindu" /><ref name="statelibrary">{{Cite web |title=Prasannakumar, K. B. Kerala State Central Library catalog |url=https://catalogue.statelibrary.kerala.gov.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-search.pl?q=au:%22Prasannakumar,%20K.%20B.%22 |access-date=2025-07-19 |website=catalogue.statelibrary.kerala.gov.in |language=en}}</ref>

===Translations===
''Notes from the Himalayas'' is the collection of reminiscences of [[Ruskin Bond]].<ref name="Ruskin">{{cite news |title=ഞാനാദ്യം വായിക്കാൻ പഠിക്കുന്നത് അടിയിൽനിന്നു മുകളിലേക്കാണ്, അതിനുകാരണമോ ആ രാജകുമാരിമാരും! |url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/books/excerpts/ruskin-bond-memories-translation-kb-prasannakumar-mathrubhumi-books-1.10604769 |work=Mathrubhumi |date=22 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Prasannakumar translated this book for [[Mathrubhumi Books]].<ref name="Ruskin"/> He translated [[Gao Xingjian]]'s semi-autobiographical novel ''[[Soul Mountain]]'' into Malayalam as ''Athmashailam'', [[Orhan Pamuk]]'s ''Masumiyet Müzesi'' (''[[The Museum of Innocence]]'') as ''Nishkalankathayute Chithrasala'', Dr. [[Salim Ali]]'s autobiography ''[[The Fall of a Sparrow]]'' as ''Oru Kuruviyute Pathanam'', and [[Mimlu Sen]]'s ''Honey Gatherers'' as ''Bavul Jeevithavum Sangeethavum''.<ref name="statelibrary"/> He translated [[Sudhir Kakar]]'s work ''Meera and Mahatma'' into Malayalam as ''Meerayum Mahathmavum'' and [[Roberto Calasso]]'s ''Ka'' into Malayalam with the same title.<ref name="Benjamin Bailey">{{cite web |title=Benjamin Bailey Foundation |url=https://benjaminbaileyfoundation.org/prasannakumar_kb.html |website=benjaminbaileyfoundation.org}}</ref> He translated [[Gabriel García Márquez]]'s ''My Melancholy Whores'', a poetic novel, into Malayalam as ''Ente vishadaganikasmrithikal'' (D C books, 2022).<ref>{{cite news |title=എന്റെ വിഷാദഗണികാ സ്മൃതികൾ |url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/literature/bookcategories/novel/2022/12/12/book-ente-vishadaganika-smruthikal.html |work=എന്റെ വിഷാദഗണികാ സ്മൃതികൾ |language=ml}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=എന്റെ വിഷാദഗണികാ സ്മൃതികള്‍ |url=https://keralabookstore.com/book/ente-vishadaganikasmrithikal/21204/ |website=KeralaBookStore.com |language=ml}}</ref> He translated ''[[The Great Indian Novel]]'' by [[Shashi Tharoor]] into Malayalam as ''Maha(bharatha)kadha''.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Mahabharatha kadha |url=https://catalogue.statelibrary.kerala.gov.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=53283 |publisher=D C Books |date=2000}}</ref> In 2007, he translated ''[[Sophie's World]]'' ({{langx|no|Sofies verden}}), by Norwegian writer [[Jostein Gaarder]] into Malayalam as'' Sophiyude Lokam''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://anjalilibrary.com/malayalam-book/867-%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8B%E0%B4%AB%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%9F%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%8B%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%82 |title=സോഫിയുടെ ലോകം |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Prasannakumar received the [[Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize]] from [[Sahitya Akademi]] Government of Indiafor translating [[Sudhir Kakar]]'s work ''Meera and Mahatma'' into Malayalam as ''Meerayum Mahathmavum''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kerala News - പ്രസന്നകുമാറിനും സുസേ്മഷ് ചന്ത്രോത്തിനും കേന്ദ്രസാഹിത്യ അക്കാദമി പുരസ്‌കാരം - India, World News - Mathrubhumi Newspaper Edition |url=http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/1448228/2012-02-14/kerala |work=www.mathrubhumi.com |language=ml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214050220/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/1448228/2012-02-14/kerala |archive-date=2012-02-14}}</ref> He also received the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation]] from [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi]], Government of Kerala for his translation of [[Roberto Calasso]]'s ''Ka'' into Malayalam.<ref name="Benjamin Bailey"/> He received the [[Kerala State Institute of Children's Literature]] Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair Award for Literary Criticism in 2012 for his book ''Athijeevikkunna Vakku''.<ref>{{cite web |title=പുസ്തകമേള – ksicl |url=https://ksicl.org/?page_id=1061 |website=ksicl.org}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prasannakumar, K. B.}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam]]
[[Category:Translators to Malayalam]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian literary critics]]
[[Category:Writers from Kottayam]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

K. B. Prasannakumar - Revision history

Mythu09 at 17:32, 3 October 2025