sMalayalam writer S Hareesh's novel Meesha has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award. The book, which had triggered a huge controversy in Kerala in 2018, is a brilliant narrative woven around the lives of the oppressed people in the upper Kuttanad region of central Kerala.
The book was translated from Malayalam to English by Jayasree Kalathil as 'Moustache' and won the JCB Award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
Hareesh had to withdraw the novel from a prominent weekly, which was serialising it, following threats from a section of people who found some of the content of the fictional work offensive to a particular religion.
Hareesh has won several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Academi Award for best short story writer in 2018. 'Rasavidhyayude Charithram' and 'Aadam' are his short story collections.
Hareesh hails from Neendoor in Kottayam. He has penned the screenplays of two critically acclaimed Malayalam films - Aedan and Jallikttu, both adaptations of his short stories.
