Maniyambath Mukundan (born 10 September 1942) worked asa cultural attaché at the Embassy of France in Delhi from1961 to 2004, while concurrently working as an author. Many of his early worksare set in Mahe (Mayyazhi), his homeland, which earned him themoniker ‘Mayyazhiyude Kathakaaran’ (Mayyazhi’s storyteller). He isknown to be one of the pioneers of modernity in Malayalam literature.

Mukundan has been awarded the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, thehighest literary honour given by the Government of Kerala, the Crossword BookAward twice, first in 1999 for On the Banks of the Mayyazhi andagain in 2006 for Kesavan’s Lamentations, the Sahitya Akademi awardand N.V. Puraskaram for Daivathinte Vikrithikal (God’s Mischief), andthe 2023 JCB Prize for Literature for Delhi: A Soliloquy. His storiesand novels have been widely translated into various Indian languages, Englishand French, and four of his books have been adapted into award-winning films. Heis also a recipient of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres ofthe Government of France.

Gita Krishnankutty has been translating works of Malayalam writers, including MT Vasudevan Nair, Lalithambika Anterjanam, Paul Zacharia, Anand and others into English for several decades. She has received theKatha Award for Translation twice, in 1993 and 2000, and also the CrosswordAward in 1999 for On the Banks of the Mayyazhi. She lives in Chennai.