Writer Sara Thomas dies at 88

Thiruvananthapuram: Writer Sara Thomas died of age-related ailments at her daughter’s residence at Nandavanam on Friday. She was 88. The funeral will be held on Saturday at Pattoor church cemetery.
She had authored 17 novels and over 100 short stories and was honoured with many awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award, which she won twice.
She was known for her novel ‘Narmadipudava’. Her first novel was ‘Jeevitham Enna Nadi’. ‘Daivamakkal’, ‘Murippadukal’, ‘Velakkar’ are some of her famous works. Her works ‘Murippadukal’, ‘Asthamayam’ and ‘Pavizhamuthu’ were adapted as movies.
Murippadukal was adapted into a film by director PA Backer under the title, Manimuzhakkam.
Governor AM Khan condoled Thomas’ death. “Heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of Thomas, a noted writer whose portrayal of plight of women and dalits endeared her to readers & won laurels, including Sahitya Akademi award. May her soul rest in peace,” he said in his condolence message.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Thomas’ works reflected all complexities; the life and culture of Tamil Brahmins to the oppressed sections. Her works unveiled the identity of women even before the pro-women stand took shape in literature, said Vijayan.