Writer poet John P Matthew writer of A Beautiful Love Story was born in Kidangannoor, Kerala

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For watchers of this space...
Eight months and still waiting for the verdict on my two books. I don't know what's wrong, if I should contact the publishers and find out if they are at all interested in them. This wringing of hands, this eternal anxiety, this indecision, to say the least, is killing. An author invests a lot of time and money on a book and to find it is not acceptable could be devastating, one can simply stop writing altogether and go into a shell. Nothing of that sort is happening to me, as I am still active literary boards, blogs and writing comments and criticisms. This keeps the juices, sort of, flowing. As Lokmanya Tilak said when he was convicted for sedition, "There are bigger things that govern the destiny of man." He is a hero, no mean writer himself, and I believe his words. Also my latest short story Seats, Red Spit and Being Steve Smith featured in my short story blog Unendingstories has got good reactions from the boards.

Recently, I was invited to attend the "Kritya International Poetry Festival" organized by Kritya in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala. Those two days in Kerala were like a peek into a transient heaven. Like all heavens, it also passed in seconds. Pictures of the festival can be viewed on my photoblog Johnclicks.

Penguin-Sulekha "India Smiles" Short Story Collection Is Out!

"India Smiles" the collection of short stories that won Penguin-Sulekha's global short story contest has recently been published by Penguin India. This is what the book jacket looks like. Do buy it if you see it in stores. It features my short story "Flirting in Short Messages."

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The Auto Ride

My Short Stories...

Only a blind belief that I can do it spurred me on....

Where John P Matthew was born

Photo above shows the “idyllic” the village of Kidangannoor where I was born. It was clicked at 12.30 pm on a usual weekday. Note the empty village intersection, supposedly the nerve center of the village, the stillness, the peaceful solitude! Oh, the forlorn-looking, red-tiled structure is the village coffee shop!

Read on....
Born in the idyllic state of Kerala, also known as India’s own “God’s Own Country,” I graduated in science from the University of Bombay and have a post-graduate diploma in industrial engineering, though I have never worked as an engineer.

I started my career in publishing. I have worked in a number of publications as executive, sub-editor, feature writer, assistant editor, and editor. I was the editor of the monthly magazine Ambit, published by the Bombay Management Association.

I have authored many articles, editorials, features that have been published in various publications. My short stories have been published on the online web magazine Sulekha.com. One of my short stories "The E-slave" has been ranked tenth in Sulekha's hall of fame and has been read by a record number of visitors.

My short story "Flirting in Short Messages" has been selected by Penguin and Sulekha in a global short story contest among the top twenty-six stories. This collection will be published in a short story collection shortly.

I have been featured by "Famous Poets and Poetry" as a contemporary poet and my poems appear here.

I can take pride in hailing from a family of writers in the Malayalam language. My great-great granduncle George Mathan Tharakan was a grammarian who wrote the first book of Malayalam grammar called Malayazhmayude Vyakaranam. My granduncle Puthencavu Mathan Tharakan was a poet, novelist, and playwright and my uncle KM Tharakan was a writer, novelist, and critic.

The name "Tharakan" is a title conferred on our family by an erstwhile king of Travancore, Kerala, India. I believe the title died with the monarchy and therefore, out of modesty, or, out of deference to past glories, nobody in my branch of the family ever used this title.

At present I work as a senior content writer for an American software solutions company. I live in New Bombay with my wife and son.