Kamala Das (born 1934) published six volumes of poetry between 1965 and 1985. Her love of poetry began at an early age under the influence of her great uncle, Nalapat Narayan Menon, a prominent Malayalam writer. Kamala Das or Madhavikutty was also influenced by the poetry of her mother, Balamani Amma, and the sacred writings kept by the matriarchal community of the Nayars of Kerala. Drawing upon religious and domestic imagery to explore a sense of identity, Das tells of intensely personal experiences, including her growth into womanhood, her unsuccessful quest for love in and outside of marriage, and her life in matriarchal rural South India after inheriting her ancestral home.
Das wrote chiefly of love, its betrayal, and the …
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Citation: Pulugurtha, Nishi. "Kamala Das". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 October 2007 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1141, accessed 25 November 2024.]
