Ashtamoorthi K. V.

Ashtamoorthi K V is a Malayalam novelist and short story writer from Kerala, India. He commenced his literature career as a novelist but later on made his own mark in the field of Malayalam short stories. Ashtamoorthi won the Kerala Sahithya Academy award in 1992 for the best short story "Veedu Vittu Pokunnu".

Life

Ashtamoorthi was born to K K Vasudevan Nambudiripad and Sreedevi Antharjanam in Arattupuzha village, Thrissur district, Kerala. After his education he moved to Bombay as an accountant from where he started his writing career seriously. He wrote his first novel, Rehearsal Camp (1982) when he was in Bombay. The novel received Kumkumam Award in 1982. Then he returned to Kerala, and settled in his hometown Arattupuzha, a village near the cultural capital Thrissur. Now he is working as an accountant in SNA Oushadhasala Pvt. Ltd, Thrissur.

Literary Life

Ashtamoorthi's literature has an immense influence of Indian city life which he had gained from his early Bombay days. This city life experience and influence of the great Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair, always inspired his later literary works in a positive way. His short stories are very simple and lucid, without any complexities or obfuscations of the language. He is always concerned about the craft of his works rather than mere characters and their details. His essays and columns in Malayalam dailies and magazines have a great readership.

Bibliography

• Rehearsal Camp
• Thirichuvaravu
• Veedu Vittu Pokunnu
• Kathaasaram
• La Pathaa
• Pakal Veedu
• Marana Shikasha

Awards

• Kunkumam Novel Award 1982: Rehearsal Camp
• Kerala Sahitya Akademi Short Story Award 1992: Veedu Vittu Pokunnu