Semester 3
MDC Kerala in Context
Module 4
What is the importance and relevance of translating world classics ?
Translating world classics is very important because it helps people from different countries and
languages understand and enjoy great stories and ideas from around the world. Through
translation, readers can learn about other cultures, histories, and ways of thinking. It also spreads
values like justice, kindness, and freedom that are common to all humans. When world classics
are translated into local languages, they inspire new writers, enrich literature, and help people
connect with the wider world.
Translation of Les Miserables and the Making of the Modern Malayali
by Meena T. Pillai
Summary
In 1925, a Malayalam novel called Paavangal, written by Nalappat Narayana Menon, was
published in Kerala. It was a translation of Victor Hugo’s French novel Les Misérables. This book
had a big impact on Kerala’s society and literature. The story of Jean Valjean, who was jailed for
stealing bread to feed his hungry family, deeply moved readers in Kerala. At that time, people there
were suffering from poverty, natural disasters, and the effects of the Spanish Flu of 1918, which
killed millions in India. In the 1920s, droughts and weak monsoons caused famine-like conditions
in many regions. Food became expensive because of war-time inflation and shortages, and poor
people could not afford basic things like food or kerosene. In some parts of India, there were even
food riots because of hunger and economic hardship. So, Paavangal connected strongly with
Malayali readers, who saw their own struggles reflected in Jean Valjean’s story.
Nalappat Narayana Menon’s Paavangal, the Malayalam translation of Victor Hugo’s Les
Misérables, came at a time when Kerala was facing poverty, inequality, and major social changes.
The region was also becoming more connected to modern ideas through railways and newspapers,
which spread new thoughts from the rest of India. The Malayalam novel itself became a modern
tool to express people’s worries, dreams, and the effects of colonial rule. Writers began to use
novels to talk about social reform, gender roles, and class struggles, helping shape a new modern
Malayali identity. By the 1930s, Kerala’s social movements started focusing on class issues (like
workers’ rights) rather than just caste. For example, coir workers in Alappuzha, many of whom
were from the Ezhava community, joined together under the Travancore Labour Association
(TLA). They were inspired by thinkers like K. Ayyappan and E. Madhavan, who promoted equality
and rationalism. Later, the Congress Socialist Party tried to connect these worker movements with
India’s freedom struggle, leading to a major workers’ strike in 1938.
Les Misérables itself deals with class struggle and justice, showing how ordinary people suffered
under oppressive rulers. Victor Hugo, who opposed Emperor Napoleon III, went into exile for his
beliefs—much like Gandhi’s idea of satyagraha (nonviolent resistance). Interestingly, Gandhi
owned a well-used copy of Les Misérables, which shows how its ideas about justice and human
dignity influenced Indian thinkers too. Even though Hugo didn’t know English, his novel reached
India through English translations, and from there Nalappat brought it into Malayalam. This shows
how translation helped shape modern Malayalam literature, connecting Kerala to global ideas of
freedom, justice, and humanity.
In the early days of Malayalam literature, many important works were translations. Books like
Paradesi Mokshayatra and Sanchariyude Prayanam (1847), both translations of The Pilgrim’s
Progress, and Bhasha Shakuntalam, a translation of Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam, helped Malayalam
readers get used to reading prose. These early translations also changed the old, Sanskrit-style
writing into a simpler and more natural prose style, which made way for the Malayalam novel.
The first Malayalam novels appeared in the late 1800s.
• Appu Nedungadi’s Kundalatha (1887) was the first novel in Malayalam.
• Chandu Menon’s Indulekha (1889) is considered the first well-structured novel. It
was inspired by English novels and discussed modern life, social change, women’s roles, and
Western influence on Kerala’s upper-caste families.
• C. V. Raman Pillai’s Marthanda Varma (1891), and his later works Dharmaraja
and Ramaraja Bahadur, were historical romances set in Kerala’s past, celebrating heroic traditions.
Both Indulekha and Marthanda Varma became landmarks in Kerala’s cultural history, showing
how Malayalam literature was part of a larger Indian Renaissance movement. However, after these
novels, Malayalam literature did not produce many powerful new works for about 30 years. Then
came Nalappat Narayana Menon’s Paavangal (1925)—his Malayalam translation of Victor
Hugo’s Les Misérables. Paavangal stood out because of its simple, emotional prose and its focus
on human suffering, poverty, and injustice. While earlier novels talked about reforming society’s
upper classes or old systems, Paavangal focused on the poor and oppressed—those ignored by
both modernity and feudalism.
This novel brought a new humanist spirit into Malayalam literature. It made readers think about
the dignity, freedom, and struggles of ordinary people and about how economic systems and social
hierarchies dehumanize them. In this way, Paavangal reshaped the Malayalam novel into a more
human-centered and socially conscious form, helping readers imagine a more just and
compassionate world.
In 1921, Kesari Balakrishna Pillai translated Balzac’s Eugénie Grandet into Malayalam as
Shandilya. This helped create a new kind of Malayalam prose, capable of criticizing the growing
materialism of the middle class. Translators like Kesari and Nalappat Narayana Menon (who
translated Les Misérables) chose non-British European writers such as Hugo, Balzac, Chekhov,
and Ibsen, as a way to resist British colonial influence and bring new humanist ideas into
Malayalam literature.
During this period, Kerala was changing fast. Social reform movements, newspapers, reading
rooms, and libraries were creating a more aware and educated middle class. Translators played a
big role in shaping this new mindset — their work was not just literary but also political, helping
people think differently about society and justice. Nalappat Narayana Menon’s translation of Les
Misérables (Paavangal) was published in three volumes between 1925 and 1928 by Mathrubhumi.
He translated it from English, not directly from French, using Isabel Hapgood’s 1887 version. In
his preface, Nalappat humbly admitted that translating such a great work was difficult, but he tried
to stay faithful to the original. He treated Hugo’s novel like a sacred text that spoke to all humanity
about poverty, injustice, and compassion.
Nalappat even included Victor Hugo’s letter to his Italian translator, which said that misery exists
everywhere — across nations, classes, and languages — and that Les Misérables speaks for all
suffering people. Inspired by this, Nalappat dedicated Paavangal “to the miserables of Kerala.”
This was a bold move that connected the struggles of poor Malayalis to Hugo’s vision of universal
humanism. At that time, Kerala’s new middle class was becoming educated and politically active
through newspapers and literature. Reading Paavangal helped them see poverty and oppression
not as isolated issues, but as part of a shared human condition. The story of Jean Valjean, the poor
man punished for stealing bread, deeply resonated with them.
Hugo’s and Marx’s ideas both influenced this translation — that people must become aware of
their suffering in order to fight it. Nalappat’s version helped Malayalis think critically about
feudalism, capitalism, caste, and social inequality, inspiring social reformers like V. T.
Bhattathiripad, who said Nalappat taught him the meaning of true humanism. This translation also
helped shape Kerala’s progressive literary movement in the 1930s, inspiring writers like Thakazhi,
Kesavadev, Basheer, Pottekkatt, and Uroob. It showed how literature could be used to expose
injustice and imagine a more humane society. Critics say Paavangal transformed Malayalam
literature by bringing a global humanist message into a local setting. Jean Valjean became a
Malayali everyman, symbolizing the struggles of ordinary people against social injustice.
In short, Nalappat’s Paavangal was not just a translation — it was a revolution in language,
thought, and compassion that helped create the modern Malayali mind.
Model Questions & Answers
1. Who wrote Paavangal and what is it based on?
Paavangal was written by Nalappat Narayana Menon in 1925. It is a Malayalam translation of
Victor Hugo’s French novel Les Misérables.
2. How did Paavangal influence Kerala’s society and literature?
The novel deeply moved readers by showing the struggles of poor and oppressed people. It inspired
social awareness, compassion, and humanist thinking in Kerala and became a turning point in
modern Malayalam literature.
3. Why did readers in Kerala relate to Jean Valjean’s story?
People in Kerala at the time were facing poverty, famine, and the aftermath of the 1918 Spanish
Flu, just like Jean Valjean suffered from hunger and injustice in the story. His struggles reflected
their own hardships.
4. What social and economic conditions existed in Kerala during the 1920s?
Kerala faced droughts, food shortages, and inflation due to weak monsoons and the effects of war.
Many people could not afford basic goods like food or kerosene, leading to hunger and even food
riots in some areas.
5. How did translations contribute to the growth of Malayalam prose and novels?
Early translations like Paradesi Mokshayatra, Sanchariyude Prayanam, and Bhasha Shakuntalam
helped popularize prose reading. They replaced the old Sanskrit-influenced style with a simpler,
more natural language, paving the way for the modern Malayalam novel.
6. Which were the first Malayalam novels, and what did they focus on?
• Appu Nedungadi’s Kundalatha (1887) – the first Malayalam novel.
• Chandu Menon’s Indulekha (1889) – the first well-structured novel; it explored
modernity, women’s roles, and social change.
• C. V. Raman Pillai’s Marthanda Varma (1891) – a historical romance about
Kerala’s heroic past.
7. What was the difference between Indulekha and Paavangal?
• Indulekha focused on upper-class reform and Western influence.
• Paavangal focused on the poor and oppressed, exposing injustice and human
suffering.
It brought a human-centered, compassionate outlook to Malayalam literature.
8. What role did translators like Nalappat and Kesari Balakrishna Pillai play in Malayalam
literature?
They introduced European humanist ideas by translating authors like Hugo, Balzac, Chekhov, and
Ibsen. This helped Malayalam literature resist British influence and develop socially aware themes.
9. From which language did Nalappat translate Les Misérables, and who was the English
translator?
Nalappat translated it from English, using Isabel Hapgood’s 1887 English translation of Les
Misérables.
10. What did Victor Hugo’s letter to his Italian translator emphasize, and how did Nalappat respond
to it?
Hugo’s letter said that misery exists everywhere, across nations and classes, and that Les
Misérables speaks for all suffering people. Inspired by this, Nalappat dedicated Paavangal “to the
miserables of Kerala.”
11. How did Paavangal influence Kerala’s social and political movements?
It inspired social reformers and writers to think about poverty, caste, and injustice. Figures like V.
T. Bhattathiripad said the novel taught them true humanism. It also influenced workers’
movements and progressive literature in the 1930s.
12. Which writers were inspired by Paavangal and Nalappat’s humanist ideas?
Writers such as Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Kesavadev, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, S. K.
Pottekkatt, and Uroob were influenced by the novel’s social realism and compassion.
13. What does Paavangal represent in the history of Malayalam literature?
Paavangal represents a shift from elite-centered stories to human-centered stories. It helped shape
a modern, socially conscious Malayalam identity and became a symbol of compassion and justice
in literature.
14. How is Jean Valjean’s story universal, and why did it fit the Malayali context?
Jean Valjean’s suffering under poverty and injustice represents universal human struggles. Kerala’s
people, facing their own economic hardships, saw themselves in him, making the story deeply
relatable.
15. In short, why is Paavangal considered more than a translation?
Because Nalappat didn’t just translate words—he translated ideas and emotions. Paavangal
became a social message, awakening Kerala to human dignity, equality, and compassion, and thus
helped create the modern Malayali mindset.