Anvar Ali (born 1 July 1966) is an Indian poet and lyricist writing in Malayalam. He is also a literary editor and critic, playwright, translator, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker.
Literary Works
Ali’s first collection of poems, Mazhakkalam (The Rainy Season, 1999), established him as a prominent voice in contemporary Malayalam poetry. Ali’s poetry collections include Aadiyaadi Alanja Marangale (Ye Trees, Swaying Ramblers, 2009) and Mehboob Express (2020). Eternal Sculptures (2007) is a collection of his poems in English translation. His novella, Njan Rappai, was published in 1995.
Ali’s poems have been translated into various Indian and foreign languages and have been included in
several anthologies of contemporary poetry, such as Innan Ganges flyter in i natten (A Swedish
Anthology of Indian Poetry in Hindi, Malayalam and English, edited by Tomas Lofstrom and Birgitta
Wallin); Singing in the Dark - A Global Anthology of Poetry Under Lockdown (edited by K.
Satchidanandan and Nishi Chawla); Oxford India Anthology of Modern Malayalam Literature, Volume 1
(edited by P. P. Raveendran and GS Jayasree); The Tree of Tongues (edited by E V Ramakrishnan) and
127 Poetry Voices (edited by Glorjana Veber and Metin Cengiz). His poems are regularly published in
prestigious Malayalam weeklies and literary journals and magazines, as well as international journals
including Asymtote, Indian Literature and Muse India.
Ali has authored two plays: Ozile Mahamanthrikan (2015), based on the American novel Wizard of Oz,
and Njanum Potte Bappa Olmaram Kanuvan (Can I Go See the Magical Tree, Father?), a musical play
based on a folk tale from Lakshadweep.
Translations
Ali translated Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window, the Japanese autobiographical memoir of
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi – a literary classic, into Malayalam in 1994. He co-translated Sirpi
Balasubramaniam’s poetry collection Oru Gramathile Nadi (A River in a Village, 2010). He has translated
a series of modern Anglophone African poems, as well as poems from Indian languages like Tamil, Hindi,
Kannada and Assamese, into Malayalam. Ali translated Alfred Farag’s Egyptian play Ali Janah al-Tabrizi
and His servant Quffa to Malayalam.
Other Works
Ali has notably experimented with the performance of his poetry. In 2015–2017, he created a poetry
band, Leaves of Grass, with guitarist and composer John P. Varkey. The band’s performances combined
the stylistic aspects of performance poetry with rock music. In 2018, he collaborated with Olam, an
instrumental band, to perform Mehboob Express, a long narrative poem that has gained acclaim as a
chronological sociocultural saga and critique of Indian politics. In 2017, in the maiden show at Uru Art
Harbour, Mattancherry, curated by artist Riyas Komu, Ali showcased the lasting cultural life of legendary
Mattancherry singer Mehboob through an audio-visual installation. Ali is currently participating in a
South African–Indian experimental performance project on the theme of the assassination of Mahatma
Gandhi with musicians, poets, lyricists and visual artists from both the countries.
Produced under the banner of Image Commune (2015), Ali’s debut documentary film on Attoor Ravi
Varma, Maruvili (Call from the other Shore), was selected for the International Documentary and Short
Film Festival of Kerala (2015); Mumbai International Film Festival (2016); Jaffna International Film
Festival, Sri Lanka (2016) and SIGNS Festival of Federation of Film Societies of India, Kerala (2015).
Ali co-edited the journals Pakshikkoottam (Flock of Birds), an alternate journal and publishing house,
and Kavithakku Oru Idam (A Space for Poetry), a journal for new poetry in Malayalam. He was the chief
content editor of Seventy-Five Years of Malayalam Cinema, a digital encyclopaedia produced by Kerala
State Chalachitra Academy (2003).
Residencies and Literature Festivals
Ali was invited to South Korea for the Writer-in-Residence Program of the Literature Translation
Institute of Korea in 2007 and attended the 2007 Afro-Asian Literature Festival in Jeonju, Korea. He has
presented his work at various poetry, literary and film festivals, including Young Poets Meet, New Delhi
(1997); The New Voices, Trivandrum (2004); Asselieh Film Festival, Morocco (2004); Kavi Bharati, Bhopal
(2005); Paju Book Festival, South Korea (2014); Sharjah International Book Fair (2014 & 2018); Bharatiya
Kavita Samaroh, Patna (2014); Samanvay: IHC Indian Languages’ Festival, New Delhi (2014); Jaffna
International Film Festival, Sri Lanka (2016) and Kokrajhar Literary Festival, Bodoland, Assam (2021,
2023).
Awards
- 1992: Kunchu Pillai Memorial Award for Young Poets
- 2000: Kanakasree Endowment Award of Kerala Sahitya Akademi
- 2003: Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay
- 2017 & 2022: Mazhavil Manorama Award for Best Song
- 2018: Filmfare Award for Best Song
- 2020: Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist
- 2021: Ayanam: A. Ayyappan Poetry Award
- 2021: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry for Mehboob Express