Government of Kerala Ezhuthachan Award for Methil Radhakrishnan

Methil Radhakrishnan has been selected for the 34th Ezhuthachan Award, the highest literary honor of the Government of Kerala. Cultural Affairs Minister PC Vishnunadh announced the award at a press conference here on Sunday (November 1, 2026).

The award consists of a cash prize of ₹ 5 lakh, a citation and a plaque. A panel of judges headed by poet KG Sankara Pillai, with Kalpatta Narayanan, K. Satchidanandan and Sarah Joseph as members and MP Surendran as secretary, unanimously selected Mr. Radhakrishnan for the award.

The jury adjudged Mr. Radhakrishnan as a writer who created a new sensibility in Malayalam literature with his unique sense of aesthetics and unique intellectual abilities.

He became a notable presence in postmodern Malayalam literature by creatively integrating science, philosophy and psychology into his writings. While he works in a variety of fields such as novels, short stories, poetry and scientific articles, there is an underlying philosophy constantly at work in his works that unites them all, the jury noted.

Major works

Mr. Radhakrishnan’s major works include novels Sooryavamsam, Hitchcockinte Itapetal and Laingikathayekkurichu Oru Upanyasam and short fiction works like Sangeetham oru Samayakalayanu, Kayarinte Attam, Nayakanmar Shavapedakathil, Sooryamalsyathe Manastjavaryor Pazhutharaye Kollaam. His deep interest in world poetry, philosophy, ecology, music, anthropology, history and entomology gives his essays immense depth.

The jury also said that Mr. Radhakrishnan, who has been creating a new sensibility in the language for decades, fully deserves this award, named after the writer who created a new poetic language for Malayalam. It was also appreciated that Mr. Radhakrishnan’s works, which encourage readers to constantly renew their tastes, created a major turning point in the literary aesthetics of Malayalam.

Published – 01 Nov 2026 18:26 IST