KOLLAM: Eminent Malayalam novelist and short story writer George Vargese Kakkanadan, better known by his pseudonym Kakkanadan, passed away at a private hospital here on Wednesday morning. He was 76 and had been battling cancer and liver-related ailments for the past few years.
The body was shifted to his house at Eravipuram, near here.
The funeral will be held with state honours at the St Thomas Marthoma Church at Polayathode here at 3 pm on Thursday. Kakkanadan is survived by his wife Ammini, sons Rajan and Rishi, and daughter Radha. The body will be kept at the Town Hall at 1 pm on Thursday for the public to pay homage.
Noted for the freshness in his themes, Kakkanadan pioneered modernist trends in Malayalam fiction during the 60s. His major works include Orodha, Ushnamekhala, Ezham Mudra, Vasoori and Parankimala.
The radical face of Malayalam fiction was bestowed with the Kendra Sahithya Akademi Award in 2005 and a fellowship of the Kerala Sahithya Akademi Fellowship in 2008. Other major accolades include the Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award for in 1984, Padma Prabha Award in 2002, and Balamaniamma Award in 2008.