Prema Jayakumar

Prema Jayakumar is an Indian translator from Kerala. She translated many noted works from Malayalam to English. She received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions in 2024.

Biography Prema Jayakumar was born in Kozhikode in 1952. He father B.K. Menon, a banker, was also a poet and writer. She holds a Master's degree in English Literature and worked as an officer in the State Bank of India for 20 years. That was her first translation. She translated Sethu's Marupiravi into English as The Saga of Muziris. Sethu's Pandavapuram was translated when she was advised to take bed rest during her pregnancy. This book was nominated for the Crossword Award in the Indian Language Fiction Translation category in 2008. The BBC has selected the translation of Yakshi for their 'Off the Bookshelf' radio programme.

C. V. Raman Pillai's epic novel Marthandavarma was translated into English by her father B.K. Menon in 1936. 62 years later, Prema revised this translation and it was reprinted by the Sahitya Akademi in 1998.

Works Translations

Children's literature Story of Krishna in simplified English for children. Story of Karna in simplified English for children. A story from the Mahabharata, written in simplified English for children A story from the Mahabharata, written in simplified English for children. A story from the Mahabharata, written in simplified English for children Simplified English translation of Ramayana for children. Simplified English translation of Shakuntala for children.

Awards and honors Prema received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions (for 2023) in 2024. She received the V. Abdullah Translation Award in 2024 for translating C. Radhakrishnan's Theekkadal Kadanju Thirumadhuram under the title Nectar from Sea of Fire. Her translation work Nectar from Sea of Fire also won the 2024 C.P. Menon Memorial Award. She was also shortlisted for the Crossword Prize three times.