Benyamin (writer)

Goat Days (Aadujeevitham), his most famous novel, portrays the life of Najeeb, an Indian labourer and how he survives the hardships and tortures in Saudi Arabia. It is used as a textbook at Kerala University, Calicut University, Bharathiar University, Pondicherry University and 10th standard for Kerala State syllabus.[2] It was a magnum opus and a turning point work of Bennyamin in his writing career.

Yellow Lights Of Death (Manjaveyil Maranagal) describes that once the author unexpectedly receives half of a story by email from a young man named Christy Andraper. At a seaside cafe, two friends, Christy and Jesinta, witness a murder. Christy discovers that his classmate Senthil was shot. But the police say that no such crime has been committed so far. The hospital authorities say he had a heart attack. Christy begins to suspect a conspiracy and begins to investigate. It's a beautiful work that leaves the readers to be confused as to whether it was a real incident or a fictional event, keeping it a mystery from start to the end.

Jasmine Days (Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal) tells the story of a young woman Sameera Parvin who moves to a middle eastern city and finds herself in the middle of a revolution. It revolves around the Jasmine Revolution that sprang up in December 2010 and was quelled by January 2011.[3] The English translation of the novel won the inaugural JCB Prize for Literature, the richest literary award in the country. The jury chairperson Vivek Shanbag called the novel "brilliant and intense".[4][5]

Tharakans Grandhavari (The Chronicles of Tharakan) is a unique experiment in narrative style as well as in production and publication. The plot revolves around the life of Mathu Tharakan and is narrated through 120 incidents. The book is published as 120 loose cards and the readers are given the choice to dictate the narrative. Each copy of the book is uniquely assembled such that each copy is a distinct permutation of the many possibilities in which the novel could be read.[6][7]

Benyamin co-wrote the Malayalam film Christy with writer G. R. Indugopan, which marked his debut as a screenwriter. He also played a small character in the film.[8] And also the screenplay of this film written by both of them has been published in book form by Manorama Books.

• Benyamin (2012). Goat Days. Translated by Joseph Koyippally. New Delhi: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-143-41633-3.
• Benyamin (2015). Yellow Lights of Death. Translated by Sajeev Kumarapuram. New Delhi: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-143-42089-7.
• Benyamin (2018). Jasmine Days. Translated by Shahnaz Habib. New Delhi: Juggernaut Books. ISBN 978-9-386-22874-1.
• Benyamin (2019). Al Arabian Novel Factory. Translated by Shahnaz Habib. New Delhi: Juggernaut Books. ISBN 978-9-353-45066-3.
• Benyamin (2021). Addis Ababa. Translated by Veena Muthuraman. New Delhi: Juggernaut Books.
• Benyamin (2023). Marquez, EMS, Gulam and Others: Selected Short Stories. Translated by Swarup B. R. New Delhi: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-9-356-29567-4.