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{{Short description|Indian writer (1904–1952)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = M. P. Paul
| image = MP Paul.jpg
| imagesize =
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| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1904|5|1}}
| birth_place = Puthenpally Varapuzha, [[Ernakulam, Kerala]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1952|7|12|1904|5|1}}
| death_place = [[Thiruvananthapuram]]
| occupation = Writer, educationist, literary critic
| alma_mater =
| period =
| genre =
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| notableworks = {{ubl|''Novel Sahithyam''|''Cherukatha Prasthanam''|''Saundaryathinte Adhistanam''|''Chithrakalayum Kavyakalayum''|''Sahithya Vicharam''}}
| spouse = Mary Paul
| partner =
| children = {{ubl|[[Rosy Thomas]] (daughter)|[[C. J. Thomas]] (son-in-law)}}
| parents =
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards =
}}
'''Menacherry Poulose Paul''' (1904–1952) was an academic, educationist, scholar and [[literary critic]] of [[Malayalam]]. Considered by many as one of the major literary critics of Malayalam literature, Paul inaugurated [[comparative literature]] in Malayalam through his works, ''Novel Sahithyam'' and ''Cherukatha Prasthanam''. He was the founder of [[Parallel college|parallel college education system]] in [[Kerala]], one of the major forces behind the ''Purogamana Sahitya Prasthanam'' and was the founder president of Sahithya Pravrthaka Sahakarana Sangham, the writers' cooperative movement.

==Life sketch==
[[File:SB College Changanassery building.jpg|thumb|left|[[St. Berchmans College|S. B. College]] - Paul was a member of faculty for two different periods]]
M. P. Paul was born on the [[May Day]] of 1904 at [[Varappuzha|Puthenpally Varapuzha]], in [[Ernakulam district]] of the south Indian state of [[Kerala]] to Poulose and Rosamma.<ref name="Writers in Malayalam">{{Cite web |url=http://writersinmalayalam.blogspot.ae |title=Writers in Malayalam |publisher=Writersinmalayalam.blogspot.ae |access-date=2016-12-01}}</ref> After early schooling locally, he did his high school studies at [[St. Albert's HSS, Ernakulam|St. Albert's High School, Ernakulam]] and though he completed his high school course with scholarship, he could not appear for the [[Secondary School Leaving Certificate]] in 1918 as he was under age at the time of the examination.<ref name="Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal">{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/MPPaul/Html/MPPaulgraphy.htm |title=Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |date=2019-02-25 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> Subsequently, he passed the examination the next year and completed his intermediate course at [[St. Thomas College, Thrissur]] before graduating in History from [[St Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli]] in 1924. He started his career as a tutor at the same college following his graduation and during his stay in [[Tiruchirappalli]], he unsuccessfully attempted the [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Indian Civil Service examination]]. Returning to Kerala in 1928, he joined St. Thomas College, Thrissur as a faculty and stayed there until 1931; in between, he earned a master's degree in English literature in 1929. In 1931, he was dismissed from service due to his differences with the management of the college which eventually escalated into a court case.<ref name="Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal" />

On losing the job, Paul rented a building opposite to St. Thomas College and started M. P. Paul's Tutorial College, the first [[parallel college]] in Kerala.<ref name="Asianet, Babu Paul and the Church">{{Cite web |url=https://vishumenon.com/2011/06/28/asianet-babu-paul-and-the-church/ |title=Asianet, Babu Paul and the Church |last=Vishumenon |first=~ |date=2011-06-28 |website=Vishumenon's Blog |language=en |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> Later, he started parallel colleges in [[Ernakulam]] and [[Kottayam]] and made an attempt to study law which he abandoned after passing the initial examination in 1933.<ref name="Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal" /> The next year, he joined [[St. Berchmans College]], [[Changanassery]] but left the job in 1936, again due to differences with the college management to go back to his parallel colleges which he managed in places like Thrissur, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram;<ref name="Writers in Malayalam" /> noted Malayalam writer, [[Muttathu Varkey]], was a teacher in one of these colleges.<ref>{{cite web|last=Babu |first=Sathish |url=http://imprintsonindianfilmscreen.blogspot.ae/2012/05/muttathu-varkey.html |title=Imprints On Indian Film Screen: MUTTATHU VARKEY |publisher=Imprintsonindianfilmscreen.blogspot.ae |date=2012-05-22 |access-date=2016-12-01}}</ref> He had a second stint at St. Berchmans College during 1944–46 but moved to Thiruvanathapuram in 1950 to join [[Mar Ivanios College]] as a professor. In 1952, he also made an attempt to revive his parallel college in Kottayam which had stopped functioning.<ref name="Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal" />

Paul married Mary in 1926 and the couple had a daughter, [[Rosy Thomas]], who went on to become a noted writer in her own right; [[C. J. Thomas]], the playwright and critic, was his son-in-law.<ref name="Malayalam Writer Rosy Thomas Passes Away">{{Cite web |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=671196 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502002133/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=671196 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-05-02 |title=Malayalam Writer Rosy Thomas Passes Away |date=2014-05-02 |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> he died on July 12, 1952, at the age of 48, at Thiruvananthapuram, succumbing to illnesses contracted during one of his trips to Kottayam. The Church refused to allow him a catholic burial due to his constant confrontations with them and his mortal remains were buried at a public cemetery in Pattoor, Thiruvanathapuram.<ref name="Call to protect M.P. Paul's vault">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/14/stories/2005071419680300.htm |website=[[The Hindu]] |title=Call to protect M.P. Paul's vault |date=2005-07-14 |access-date=2019-02-25}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

== Legacy and honours ==
{{quotebox|align = right|width=22em|''Without him there wouldn't have been any [[Vaikom Muhammad Basheer|Basheer]]. The preface he wrote for Basheer's [[Balyakalasakhi]] was a striking one,'' said [[M. K. Sanu]], about M. P. Paul, on the occasion of his 60th death anniversary.<ref name="Remembering a visionary - Times of India" />}}
Paul, who attempted to study aesthetics as fundamental to the practice of literary criticism<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prd.kerala.gov.in/literacycriticsm.htm |title=official website of INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATION DEPARTMENT |publisher=Prd.kerala.gov.in |access-date=2016-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604173519/http://www.prd.kerala.gov.in/literacycriticsm.htm |archive-date=4 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and define the literary genres of novel, short story and essays,<ref name="NatarajanNelson1996">{{cite book|author1=Nalini Natarajan|author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson|title=Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&pg=PA191|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|pages=191–}}</ref> is credited with introducing a modern approach to literary criticism in Malayalam literature.<ref name="Remembering a visionary - Times of India">{{Cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Remembering-a-visionary/articleshow/14856306.cms |title=Remembering a visionary - Times of India |date=2012-07-13 |publisher=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |access-date=2016-12-01}}</ref> He was known to be instrumental in democratising the renaissance movement in Malayalam literature for taking its benefits to the masses.<ref name="Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : M.P. Paul remembered">{{Cite web |url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/02/stories/2004050211250300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040920075838/http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/02/stories/2004050211250300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-09-20 |title=Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : M.P. Paul remembered |date=2004-05-02 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2016-12-01}}</ref> Along with a group of literary enthusiasts, he founded ''Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham'', a cooperative society for helping the writers to publish their works as well as getting them a decent remuneration during a time when even established writers like [[Vaikom Muhammad Basheer]] struggled to get adequate remuneration; Paul was its founder president.<ref name="Remembering a visionary - Times of India" /> He published a weekly ''Navakeralam'' and a monthly ''Cherupushpam'' and served as the president of the ''Kerala Purogamana Saahitya Sanghatana'' for a brief period before distancing himself from the organization due to differences of opinion.<ref name="M. P. Paul - Veethi profile">{{Cite web |url=https://www.veethi.com/india-people/m._p._paul-profile-5729-25.htm |title=M. P. Paul - Veethi profile |date=2019-02-25 |website=veethi.com |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> He was active in theatre, too, and, in 1937, founded the ''Shakespeare Theatre''.<ref name="Doyens">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sbcollege.org/doyens.html |title=Doyens |publisher=Sbcollege.org |access-date=2016-12-01}}</ref>

Paul introduced western literature to Malayalam<ref name="Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZqqyxVkufQC |title=Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature |last=George |first=K. M. |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1972 |isbn=9788126004133 |page=167}}</ref> and was the first critic in Malayalam literature to launch [[comparative literature]] which he attempted in his work, ''Novel Sahithyam'' where he exposed the similarities between [[Cymbeline]] and [[Kundalatha]] as well as [[Marthandavarma (novel)|Marthanda Varma]] and [[Ivanhoe]].<ref name="Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal" /> ''Cherukatha Prasthanam'', another of his works, documented the traits of Malayalam short story when the genre was in its nascent stage. ''Kavya Darshanam, Khandakatha Prasthanam, Gadya Gathi, Sahithya Vicharam and Soundarya Nireekshanam'' are his other books on literary criticism. He also translated ''[[The Miser]]'' of [[Moliere]] into Malayalam under the title, ''Lubdhan''.<ref name="MP Paul Books">{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/MPPaul/Html/MPPaulBooks.htm |title=MP Paul Books |date=2019-02-25 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> His work has been detailed in a biographical book, ''M. P. Paul -Kalapathinte Thiruseshippukal'', written by [[George Onakkoor]].<ref name="M. P. Paul - Kalapathinte Thiruseshippukal">{{Cite book |url=https://www.amazon.in/M-P-Paul-Kalapathinte-Thiruseshippukal-Georage-Onakoor/dp/B007E4XNSG |title=M. P. Paul - Kalapathinte Thiruseshippukal |last=Onakoor |first=Georage |date=1994 |publisher=DC Books |asin=B007E4XNSG}}</ref> [[Rosy Thomas]], Paul's daughter, wrote a book, ''Urangunna Simham'' (The Sleeping Lion) on him, which is a compilation of her memories of her father.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid%3D671196 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-04-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502002133/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=671196 |archive-date=2 May 2014 }}</ref>

''M. P. Paul Charitable Trust'', the eponymous charitable organization, has instituted ''M P Paul Award'', an annual literary award for honouring literary excellence in Malayalam language studies and history.<ref name="Remembering a visionary - Times of India" /> The award carries a prize of {{INR}}25,000, a citation and a plaque.<ref name="Dr V Rajakrishnan selected for M P Paul literature award">{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcbooks.com/dr-v-rajakrishnan-selected-for-m-p-paul-literature-award.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225073339/http://www.dcbooks.com/dr-v-rajakrishnan-selected-for-m-p-paul-literature-award.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-12-25 |title=Dr V Rajakrishnan selected for M P Paul literature award |date=2013-12-25 |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
=== Essays ===
* {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=83395&query_desc=au%253A%2522Paul%252C%2520M.%2520P.%2522 |title=Novel Sahithyam |last=Paul |first=M. P.|date=1930 }}
* {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=327317&query_desc=au%253A%2522Paul%252C%2520M.%2520P.%2522 |title=Cherukatha Prastanam |last=Paul |first=M. P. |date=1932 |publisher=Poorna |location=Calicut}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=306533&query_desc=kw%252Cwrdl%253A%2520sahityavicharam |title=Sahityavicharam |last=Paul |first=M. P. |date=1953 |publisher=National Book Stall |location=Kottayam}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=220628&query_desc=au%253A%2522Paul%252C%2520M.%2520P.%2522 |title=Gadhyagathi |last=Paul. M. P |date=1954 |publisher=Sahithya Pravantaka Co |location=Sahithya Pravantaka Co}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=73458&query_desc=au%253A%2522Paul%252C%2520M.%2520P.%2522 |title=Kavyadharshanam |last=Paul |first=M. P. |date=1972 |publisher=S.P.C.S}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=76195&query_desc=au%253A%2522Paul%252C%2520M.%2520P.%2522 |title=Soundarya Nireekshanam |last=Paul |first=M. P. |date=2012 |publisher=National Book Stall |location=Kottayam}}
*''Complete Works of M. P. Paul'' (1,500 pages 2 vols)

=== Translations ===
* {{Cite book |url=http://mgucat.mgu.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=24326&shelfbrowse_itemnumber=24150 |title=Lubdan |last=Moliere |last2=M. P. Paul (translator) |date=1953 |publisher=SPCS |location=Kottayam}}

=== Works on M. P. Paul ===
* {{Cite book |url=https://www.amazon.in/M-P-Paul-Kalapathinte-Thiruseshippukal-Georage-Onakoor/dp/B007E4XNSG |title=M. P. Paul - Kalapathinte Thiruseshippukal |last=Onakoor |first=Georage |date=1994 |publisher=DC Books |asin=B007E4XNSG}}
* {{Cite book |url=http://www.indulekha.com/m-p-paul-sahitya-vimarsanam |title=M. P. Paulinte Sahityavimarsanam |last=M. Muraleedharan |publisher=Vallathol Vidyapeedam |year=2006}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17226603-urangunna-simham |title=Urangunna Simham |last=Rosy Thomas}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/MPPaul/Html/MPPaul.htm |title=Portrait commissioned by Kerala Sahitya Akademi |date=2019-02-25 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi |access-date=2019-02-25}}

{{Malayalam Literature |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, M. P.}}
[[Category:Malayali people|Paul, MP]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language writers]]
[[Category:Indian literary critics]]
[[Category:Malayalam literary critics]]
[[Category:Writers from Kochi]]
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1952 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Indian educators]]
[[Category:Indian translators]]
[[Category:People from Ernakulam district]]
[[Category:Indian academics]]
[[Category:20th-century translators]]

M. P. Paul - Revision history

imported>MB at 00:38, 18 May 2021