She was known for her several Malayalam short stories as well as poems written in English. Kamala Das was also a
syndicated columnist. She once claimed that "poetry does not sell in this country [India]", but her forthright columns, which sounded off on everything from women's issues and child care to politics, were popular. Kamala Das was a
confessional poet whose poems have often been considered at par with those of
Anne Sexton,
Robert Lowell and
Sylvia Plath. Kamala Das' first book of poetry,
Summer in Calcutta was a breath of fresh air in
Indian English poetry. She wrote chiefly of love, betrayal, and the consequent anguish. Kamala Das abandoned the certainties offered by an archaic, and somewhat sterile,
aestheticism for an independence of mind and body at a time when Indian poets were still governed by "19th-century diction, sentiment and romanticised love." Her second book of poetry,
The Descendants was even more explicit, urging women to: : This directness of her voice led to comparisons with
Marguerite Duras and
Sylvia Plath. "An Introduction" is very bold poem in which Das expresses her femininity, individuality, and true feelings about men. This autobiographical poem is written in the colloquial style. She presents her feelings and thoughts in a bold manner. She realises her identity and understands that it is the need of every woman to raise a voice in this male-dominated society. The poet longs for love that is the result of her loneliness and frustration. The poem "A Hot Noon in Malabar" is about climate, surrounding in a town in Malabar. The people may be annoyed by the heat, dust and noise but she likes it. She longs for the hot noon in Malabar because she associates it with the wild men, wild thoughts and wild love. It is a torture for her to be away from Malabar. In "My Mother at Sixty-Six," Das explores the irony in a mother-daughter relationship, and it also includes the themes of aging, growing-up, separation and love. "Dance of Eunuchs" is another fine poem in which Das sympathises with eunuchs. It has an autobiographical tone. The eunuchs dance in the heat of the sun. Their costumes, makeup and their passion with which they dance suggest the female delicacy. Their outward appearance and joy is contrasted with their inward sadness. Actually, there is no joy in their heart, they cannot even dream of happiness. In the poem "A Request," Das realises that her life is meaningless. She is alone and her colourless life is designed of crumbling patterns. Kamala Das is essentially known for her bold and frank expression. The prominent features of her poetry are an acute obsession with love and the use of confession. The main theme of her poetry is based upon freedom, love and protection. She wrote on a diverse range of topics, often disparate - from the story of a poor old servant, about the sexual disposition of upper-middle-class women living near a metropolitan city or in the middle of the ghetto. Some of her better-known stories include
Pakshiyude Manam,
Neypayasam,
Thanuppu, and
Chandana Marangal. She wrote a few novels, out of which
Neermathalam Pootha Kalam, which was received favourably by the general readers, as well as, the critics, stands out. She travelled extensively to read poetry to Germany's
University of Duisburg-Essen,
University of Bonn and
University of Duisburg universities, Adelaide Writer's Festival,
Frankfurt Book Fair,
University of Kingston,
Jamaica, Singapore, and South Bank Festival (London),
Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), etc. Her works are available in French, Spanish, Russian, German and Japanese. She has also held positions as Vice-chairperson in
Kerala Sahitya Akademi, chairperson in Kerala Forestry Board, President of the Kerala Children's Film Society, editor of
Poet magazine and poetry editor of
Illustrated Weekly of India. Although occasionally seen as an attention-grabber in her early years, she is now seen as one of the most formative influences on Indian English poetry. In 2009,
The Times called her "the mother of modern English Indian poetry". Kamala Das is best remembered for her controversial writings where she openly talks about the restriction imposed on women. She is known for her rebellious nature against the patriarchal conventions. ==Personal life==