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Noted writer Prabha Varma to be awarded Saraswati Samman 2023
Noted poet and litterateur Prabha Varma will be awarded the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2023 for his verse novel Roudra Sathwikam, the KK Birla Foundation said in a statement on Monday
New Delhi Noted poet and litterateur Prabha Varma will be awarded the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2023 for his verse novel Roudra Sathwikam, the KK Birla Foundation said in a statement on Monday.
Instituted in 1991, Saraswati Samman is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the country. It is given every year to an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language by an Indian citizen and published within the last 10 years. It carries a citation, a plaque, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh. The recipient is chosen by a selection committee, whose current head is former Supreme Court judge, Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri.
Born in Thiruvalla, Kerala, in 1959, Varma has excelled as a bilingual writer, with exemplary literary works in both Malayalam and English. He has emerged as one of the most important voices in contemporary Malayalam literature, with his work reflecting a confluence of tradition and modernity. In a career spanning decades, Varma has to his credit more than 30 books, including a dozen collections of poems, three novels in verse, eight books on the contemporary sociopolitical milieu and literature, and seven collections of essays in criticism, among others. He has bagged more than 70 awards, including the National Sahitya Akademi Award and the National Film Award.
The literary stalwart has also worked as a lyricist and media personality, and also contributed to the realm of classical music.
Published in 2022, Roudra Sathwikam is a novel written in poetic verse in Malayalam and probes the conflict between power and politics, individual and state, art and power in a unique way. The book transcends the concept of time and space as it addresses the predicament of dharma and adharma in a creatively philosophical way.
