Kakkanad: Gertrude J Morris discovered her love for writing only in her elderly years. The woman started writing at the age of 82, and brought out her 11th and 12th books together recently. She is 88 now.
Gertrude retired as a superintendent at the treasury office at the age of 56, but picked up the pen more than 2 decades later. She published her first book 'Kadalinte Makkal' when she was 82. From then on, she dedicated all her time and effort to books. She has published 12 books, including in English. Some of these books had prefaces by professor M K Sanu, among others.
Gerturde's only link with writing during her childhood days was a prize she won for poetry writing at school. Later on, family life and service years left her with no time to even think about writing. She retired from the treasury in 1989.
As she spent time with her children and grandchildren at home, she found the inspiration to write. The octogenarian is currently working on her 13th book. Her husband is (late) Joseph A Miranda from Mavelipuram in Kakkanad.
