A Doyen of Letters and A Cultural Leader
As a prominent figure in the field of Malayalam literary criticism, Mundassery was one among the famous trio of Malayalam critics, the others being Kesari Balakrishna Pillai and M. P. Paul. The progressive literary movement of the 1940s owes it existence mostly to the works and efforts of Prof. Mundassery.
Through his controversial theory about Rooparbhadrata – formal excellence – Mundassery ushered in a new chapter of literary hermeneutics, which was unheard of in Malayalam until then. According to the theory the proclaimed aim of the author would inevitably lead to intentional fallacy, and that an author should be evaluated on more objective criteria like his role as a spokesman of his age.
He was the President of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad 1965-67, executive (and founding) member of the Kerala Sahithya Academy. He was also instrumental in establishing the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy and was a member of the Kendra Sahithya Academy.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Mundassery
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