M. P. Paul

M. P. Paul was a college professor, scholar and a literary critic of Malayalam.

Life sketch

Menachery Poulose Paul was born on 1 May 1904 at Puthenpally Varapuzha, Ernakulam to Poulose and Rosamma.

He was a teacher by profession and worked in St.Thomas College, Thrissur, S.B.College, Changanassery and Mar Ivanious College, Thiruvananthapuram. He also established tutorial centres, M. P. Paul's Tutorial College, at Thrissur, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram and famous Malayalam writer, Muttathu Varkey was a teahcer in one of these colleges.

Paul is credited with introducing a modern approach to literary criticism in Malayalam. He was said to be instrumental in democratising the renaissance movement in Malayalam literature and taking its benefits to the masses. Paul attempted to study aesthetics as fundamental to the practice of literary criticism.

M. P. Paul, along with a group of literary enthusiasts founded Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, a cooperative society for helping the writers to publish their works as well as getting them a decent remuneration during a time when even renowned writers like Vaikom Muhammad Basheer struggled to get adequate remuneration. Paul was its first president. He published a weekly Navakeralam and a monthly Cherupushpam. He acted as the president of the Kerala Purogamana Saahitya Sanghatana for a brief period but distanced himself from the organization owing to differences of opinion.

Paul was active in theatre, too, and, in 1937, founded Shakespeare Theatre. He was opposed to religious orthodoxy and this earned him the wrath of the Christian Church in Kerala and, on his death, the Church did not allow his dead body to be buried in church cemetery.

M P Paul Award, is an annual award instituted by M P Paul Charitable Trust, for the best work on Malayalam language, literature and Kerala history. The award carries a prize of INR 25,000, a citation and a plaque.

Rosy Thomas, Paul's daughter and a writer herself, wrote a book on Paul by name Urangunna Simham (The Sleeping Lion).

Works

• Novel Saahityam
• Cherukathaaprasthaanam
• Saahityavichaaram
• Saundaryanireekshanam
• Complete Works of M.P.Paul (1,500 pages 2 vols)