Dr. K. Ayyappa Panicker (September 12, 1930 in Kavalam near Alappuzha - August 23, 2006 in Thiruvananthapuram) was a Malayalam poet, critic and a scholar, has been the pioneer of modernism in Kerala. His influence has been quite profound and far-reaching in the entire cultural and intellectual life of the Malayalee. If in poetry Paniker could be seen as the harbinger of a new voice, in the field of literary criticism he ushered in a paradigm shift towards a radically newer awareness.
His influence on modern Malayalam theatre and on new playwrights has been of equal importance G.Sankara Pillai, Kavalam Narayana Paniker and Narendra Prasad have all come under his sphere of thinking at one time or other. Similar has been the case with film and filmmakers like G.Aravindan, John Abraham and actors like Bharat Gopi and Nedumudi Venu. Among the visual artists Paniker's influence is evidenced by his long standing association with M.V.Devan, Paris Viswanathan and others.
Above all Ayyappa Paniker has come to be regarded as an icon of modernist culture and thinking. A widely travelled scholar and poet of international renown, he is a unique instance of creative and intellectual genius.
Paniker published his first poem at the age of 16. After graduating from University of Kerala, he took his doctorate from Indiana University and did post-doctoral research in Yale and Harvard University.
Dr. Paniker is a recipient of a number of honours including the Padmashree, Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for poetry and criticism, Kendra Sahitya Akademi award for poetry, Saraswathi Samman, Distinguished Teacher award, Mahakavi Ulloor award for poetry, Kabir Samman, International man of the year (IBC, Cambridge, UK), Indira Gandhi memorial fellowship, Gangadhar Meher National award for poetry, Asan prize and Jana Sanskriti award (Abu Dhabi), Vayalar award, and Vallathol award.
Paniker joined CMS College, Kottayam as a lecturer of English in 1951 and later became a Professor at the Institute of English and Head of the department in University of Kerala.
Books written By Ayyappa Panicker
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