Psychoanalytic Rereading of the Poetry of Vailoppilly Sreedharamenon, a Poet of Memories

Abstract

Vailoppilly Sreedharamenon, one of the most celebrated Malayalam poets of the twentieth century, is often remembered as the “poet of memories” for his ability to transform personal recollections and collective emotions into profound lyric experiences. This research article offers a psychoanalytic rereading of his poetry, particularly focusing on five significant poems—Mampazham (“Mango”), Mrugasalayile Thallappuli (“Mother Tigress in the Zoo”), Kannikoythu (“Maiden Harvest”), Kudiyozhikkal (“Eviction”), and Ariyillanjittu (“Because There is No Rice”). Drawing upon Freudian and Lacanian theories of the unconscious, repression, desire, and memory, the study explores how Sreedharamenon’s poetry reveals the poet’s deep engagement with trauma, nostalgia, and the human psyche. The analysis also situates his work within the socio-cultural context of postcolonial Kerala, where memory becomes a site of both resistance and reconciliation.