Eminent Malayalam poet and translator Attoor Ravi Varma passed away on Friday. He was 88.
Considered one of the pioneers of modernism in Malayalam poetry, Attoor was a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram.
Born on December 27, 1930, he was an alumnus of University College, Thirvananthapuram, Malabar Christian College, and Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Kozhikode. He worked in various colleges as Malayalam professor. Attoor has a large volume of works to his credit—over 150 poems which were compiled in the book Attoorinte Kavithakal, and also translated four novels from Tamil to Malayalam, among others.
Minister for Culture A.K. Balan, in his condolence message, said Attur Ravi Varma presented a modern form and style to Malayalam poetry. “His death has created a void in Kerala’s cultural scene. His poems spoke the language of the heart. He believed that poems too should change according to time,” he said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condoled his death, and said he was someone who moved away from the traditional styles of poetry and who opened the pathway to modernism through original and creative experiments.
Attoor is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
