T. P. Rajeevan

Thachom Poyil Rajeevan (born 1959, Paleri in Calicut, Kerala, India) is a poet, novelist and literary reviewer in Kerala, a southern state in India. He writes both in Malayalam, his native language and English. His poems have been translated into many languages and published in the United States and Europe. A regular contributor for The Hindu, where he writes literary reviews mostly in English. Although he enjoys a well-established place among the contemporary poets of Malayalam and started publishing poems in the early 1980s, he is not a prolific writer. There are only two collections of poetry in Malayalam to his credit to date.

Reviews

His poems have been translated and anthologised in various languages. He is also an editor for Yeti Books, the first publishing house in Kerala to publish exclusively in English. The venture received accolades from Sashi Tharoor who wrote in his column in The Hindu thus:

That the University of Calicut harbours such talent in its midst is itself a priceless public relations asset of which I hope the University's administrators are proud.

[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2004/01/18/stories/2004011800030300.htm] However, it is worth noting that the authorities in University of Calicut rather chose to victimize for his literary efforts by divesting him of his office premises. The incident was widely decried by the Malayalam media. It was reported that K. K. N. Kurupu the then vice-chancellor of the university and a local historian of staunch CPI(M) allegiance harboured ill-will towards the poet because of some alleged literary allusion to Kurupu as a fox in one of Rajeevan's poem.His collection of poems in English titled "He Who Was Gone Thus" was well-received. Anita Nair in a review appeared in the Hindu said that the collection would dazzle the reader even as one skimmed through it. [http://www.hindu.com/lr/2004/01/04/stories/2004010400320500.htm] His latest book in Malayalam is a travelogue named "purappettu pokunna vaakku".

Awards and fellowships

Rajeevan was selected to Ledig House International Writers Residency in 2008. Rajeevan is the second invitee from Kerala, and eight one from India. [http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021350620200.htm]