DC Books then published Meesha as a novel and the English translation, by Jayasree Kalathil, was published by HarperCollins. Hareesh and his family were subject to vile online harassment, the novel was withdrawn from Mathrubhumi and an appeal was made in the Supreme Court to ban it (which was dismissed). When it first came out in a serialised form in the Mathrubhumi magazine, the novel - a work of magic realism set in the fecund landscape of Kuttanad and which explores the complexities of caste and gender in the early 20th century -got mired in controversy over a passage about temple-going women, which was taken out of context. Following criticism from right-wing forces, the author had withdrawn the work, which was then being serialised in the Mathrubhumi literary (function() ) For S Hareesh, author of the Malayalam novel Meesha (Moustache), winning the JCB Prize for Literature this year is a hard-won validation. The work had also invited criticism from some other corners. S Hareesh’s first novel Meesha had courted controversy after allegations that the novel depicted women going to temples in a bad light.

The 2018 novel, which was in the eye of a storm, had also bagged the JCB prize for literature in 2020. The jury observed that Meesha is an exceptional work with its complex theme and political significance. The work was chosen for the award by a jury comprising Sara Joseph, V J James and Dr V Ramankutty. The prestigious literary award in Malayalam carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh, a citation and a sculpture designed by noted sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Writer S Hareesh has been chosen for the 46th Vayalar award for his novel Meesha (Moustache). In the name of freedom of expression, the Hindu community is being insulted, he said. The decision is aimed at insulting people belonging to the Hindu community, said R V Babu. T’Puram: The Hindu Aikya Vedi has criticised the Vayalar Memorial Trust selecting S Hareesh’s novel ‘Meesha’ for the award. BJP state president K Surendran said, “In the past, winners were chosen based on their works. The novel was later published by DC Books. Though there were attempts by some groups to bring in a ban on the work, the court declined to do so.

Moustache s hareesh