Ayyappa Panicker

K. Ayyappa Paniker (1930–2006) was a Malayalam poet, literary critic, and academic who taught for four decades before retiring as Director of the Institute of English at the University of Kerala. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of modernism in Malayalam poetry, known particularly for his seminal work Kurukshethram (1960). His Short History of Malayalam Literature, published by the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Kerala, surveys Malayalam writing from its ancient origins through the modern period and has become a standard reference text.