Thursday, June 4, 2009

Queen of Hearts …..

Malayalam and English well known writer Kamala Das, also known as Kamala Suraiya, passed away on Sunday 31 May.

Kamala Das, one of the outstanding poets of India, writing in English and Malayalam, was born on March 31, 1934 in Malabar in Kerala. She began writing poetry at an early age. A trailblazer in the Indian English poetry, she is the first Indian woman writing in English who talks about experiences of life. She abandoned the secure field of writing about teenage bloodless, unrequited love.
According to her, poetry is "the April sun squeezed like an orange juice", the heat permeates into the mind of reader. Sensitivity is the strength of her poetry.

Writing under the pen name, 'Madhavikutty', she is one of the foremost short story writers in Malayalam. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature, along literary personalities such as Nadine Gordimer and Doris Lessing. Her widely acclaimed stories include Pakshiyude Maranam, Neypayasam, Thanuppu, and Chandana Marangal.

And thus she became the queen of all hearts….

9 comments:

Arkansas Patti said...

It sounds as if the light of the world dimmed a bit on Sunday. I am not familiar with her work but I will try to find some. I am always looking for new voices. Thanks for sharing.

More Than Words said...

Wow..she sounds like an amazing writer!!

Patty said...

So sorry to hear of her passing. Sounds like she was a great poet.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Susan, I'm so sorry about your loss. She sounded like a great poet. I'm sure that she will be missed by all in India...

Hugs,
Betsy

ekta khetan said...

It’s sad to hear about the loss. A loss for the writing and reading world.

It would be great to read some of her poems [English versions] in case if you have and can share…take care.

Simon Mathew said...

Indeed she was a good writer. Thanks Femin for the Information

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great loss!

Syd said...

I am sorry to hear of her death. She sounds like an astounding person.

Nihal said...

Sounds like a new Queen to add into my heart after a few Special personalities that already took place in me.

I was not heard Her, Susan. You've been like a bridge with your introduction. I appreciate you.