Joseph Mundassery Biography 
Joseph Mundassery was a renowned literary critic and politician from Kerala state. As a critic, he is regarded as one of the top critics of Malayalam literature all time. His place is among the trio of Malayalam critics, the other two being Kesari Balakrishna Pillai and M. P. Paul. He was a doyen of literature and a true symbol of cultural leadership. He is remembered most as the Education Minister who is the mastermind behind the drafting of the controversial Education Bill of the first EMS communist ministry of 1957. He has been a successful educationalist also. He was the founding member and executive of the Kerala Sahithya Academy. Mundassery was the guru of many pupils at St. Thomas College, Thrissur. A few of those prominent disciples are C. Achutha Menon and Mathai Manjooran.
Joseph was born on 17 July 1903 at Kandassankadavu, Thrissur. After schooling he became graduated in Physics and later took Master’s degree in two languages – Sanskrit and Malayalam. Then he started his academic career as a teacher and has worked in many educational institutions. Until 1952, he was the Head of the Department of Foreign Languages at St. Thomas College, Thrissur. Mundassery entered politics through the Kochi Prajamandalam. In 1948, he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council of Kochi. Later he became an MLC in the Travancore-Cochin Assembly in 1954. After the formation of the Kerala State in 1956, he won the Assembly election in 1957 and became Kerala’s first education minister under EMS’ Communist ministry. He served during the period, 1957-1959. In 1970, he won Assembly elections from Thrissur.
His position among the magic trio of Malayalam critics’ is unchallenged. His theory about Rooparbhadrata became controversial. Yet such a work was heard in Malayalam literature for the first time. He was the President of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad 1965-67. His noted novels are Professor, Konthayil Ninnu Kurissilekku and Parappurathu Vithacha Vithu. Kavyapeedhika, Manadandam, Mattoli, Manushyakathanugayikal, Vayanashalayil, Pashchathya Sahithya Sameeksha, Rajarajante Mattoli and Natakantham Kavithwam Karinthiri are a few among his literary criticisms.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 20, 2014
