N. S. Madhavan’s first story, Sisu (The Child, 1970) won first prize in a short-story contest for college students conducted by the Malayalam literary journal, Mathrubhumi. In 1982, his first collection of short stories, Chulaimedile Savangal (Corpses of Chulaimedu) was published. Madhavan had since published four more collections of stories – Higuita, Thiruthu (Blue Pencil), Paryayakathakal (Stories about Names) and Nilavili (The Cry). His first novel, Lanthanbatheriyile Luthiniyakal (Litanies of Dutch Battery) was published in 2003 and won the prize for the best story collection from Kerala Sahitya Akademi (School of Letters).