Lists of titles date. A map of what Malayalam literature is about does not. This class surveys Malayalam literature available in English by tradition and theme rather than as a fixed list: the modern novel, the short story, poetry from Ezhuthachan in the sixteenth century onward, and the non-fiction learners neglect. It ends with a practical way to move from a translation to the Malayalam original. Key Malayalam words for this topic: സാഹിത്യം (saahithyam) – literature എഴുത്തുകാരൻ (ezhuthukaaran) – writer വിവർത്തനം (vivarthanam) – translation വിവർത്തകൻ (vivarthakan) – translator തറവാട് (tharavaadu) – ancestral family home കുടുംബം (kudumbam) – family ഗ്രാമം (graamam) – village കടൽ (kadal) – sea മഴ (mazha) – rain ഓർമ്മ (ormma) – memory In this class: • Novel themes: the joint family and മരുമക്കത്തായം (marumakkathaayam), the land, the sea, migration • The short story, and why anthologies are the best entry point • Poetry: it translates worst and rewards most • Memoir, essays, outsiders' accounts and the academic writing on Kerala Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.