Famous Novelist Kakkanadan Passed Away

Wife Ammini near Kakkanadan's dead body

 
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Famous Malayalam Novelist  Kakkanadan died on Wednesday(19-10-2011) morning. He was 76.
Kakkanadan was suffering  from cancer for the past few years. His wife, two sons and a daughter were there near at the death bed.
Kakkanadan, real name George Varghese, began his career as a school teacher. He later worked with the Indian Railways in Delhi for 10 years before he quit his job to pursue his interest in Physics and went to West Germany in 1967. But after a few years he quit his research and shifted full time to writing.

 He was often credited with laying the foundation of modernism in Malayalam literature and was a recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award. He authored numerous short stories and novels. Two of his popular works have been made into superhit Malayalam films.

His other popular works include "Ushnamekhala", "Vasoori", "Japana Pukayila", "Kakkanadante Priyakathakal" and "Saakshi".
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Booker Prize to Howard Jacobson

Howard Jacobson, a British author and a former Wolverhampton Polytechnic teacher has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for his latest novel. He bagged the prize and its £50,000 award for his comic novel ‘The Finkler Question.’
The 58-year-old said it was his four years in Wolverhampton in the 1980s that inspired him to write his first book, ‘Coming from Behind’, a comedy about a failing polytechnic that tries to merge with a local football team. He once said the town was “dull and boring” but then some years later went on to say: “It seems to have improved quite a bit – probably because everywhere else has got worse.”
‘Coming From Behind’ included a scene about teaching in a football stadium. The University of Wolverhampton still has some classrooms like that. Jacobson had been longlisted for the prize twice previously, but had never before been shortlisted.
He has written 15 novels and he is also a writer and columnist.