Are you looking to read something new and interesting – something with a local flavour and something you can relate to better? Welcome to Tamil literature. Boasting some remarkable writers who have written for all generations of readers, Tamil literature has touched upon every genre, evolving with the times. Here is a list of authors who have carved a niche for themselves, without whose books your bookshelf would not be complete….
Sujatha Rangarajan
Writing in his wife’s name, Rangarajan, who was born on May 3, 1935, took Tamil literature to a new level. He wrote novels with strong and evergreen characters. He wrote science and fiction and catered to all age groups.
An engineer by profession, Sujatha wrote extensively for all media. He wrote more than 100 novels, 250 short stories, ten books on science, ten stage plays, and a slim volume of poems. He wrote for Tamil magazines and also worked as the editor of Kumudam.
He has also written screenplays and dialogues for many successful Tamil films such as Boys , Endhiran and Aayitha Ezhuthu . He has worked with directors Shankar and Maniratnam on many of their projects. He won the VASWIK Award for his contribution to the Electronic Voting Machine. You may enjoy his Kolayudhir Kaalam , En Iniya Iyanthira , the sequel Meendum Jeano and Aaah .
Ashokamitran
Born in Secunderabad on September 22, 1931, Ashokamitran’s real name is Thyagarajan. He moved to Chennai in 1952 after the death of his father. He worked for more than a decade at the Gemini Studios. It was in 1966 that he became a full-time writer and he wrote under the pseudonym ‘Ashokamitran.’ He is famous for writing novels, simple in structure and with storylines of extraordinary clarity.
Many of his works have been translated into English as well as into some European languages which has earned him readership across the globe. He was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for his work Appavin Snehidhar, a collection of short stories. He has many more awards to his credit and every work of his marks a milestone in his career.
Our picks:
Thanneer
Appavin Snehidhar
Karaindha Nizhalgal
Kalki Krishnamurthy
Born as Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy on September 9, 1899, but better known by his pen name Kalki, (suffixes of his wife's name Kalyani and his name Krishnamurthy), he was a writer, journalist, poet, critic and Independence activist. He worked for magazines such as Navashakthi and A nanda Vikatan before starting his own magazine Kalki. His masterpiece Ponniyin Selvan was and is still widely read. Kalki won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956 for what he considers his best work – Alai Osai . He was a master at making his characters come live.
Our picks
Ponniyin Selvan
Alai Osai
Sivagamiyin Sapatham
Parthiban Kanavu
Subramania Bharati
Subramania Bharati is a Tamil writer you never want to miss. A freedom fighter and a revolutionary, most of his works revolved around patriotism. But he was instrumental in getting the layman to understand the importance of Independence and kindled the spirit of nationalism. Bharati was born on December 11, 1882, in the village of Ettayapuram. The author knew around 29 Indian languages and 3 foreign languages.
Our picks
Panchali Sabatham
Kuyil Paatu
Suya Sarithai
Jayakanthan
Born in 1934 in a family of agriculturists in Cuddalore, Jayakanthan was a school drop-out. Jayakanthan’s literary honours include Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi awards.
Jayakanthan’s stories are fresh and revolutionary. He wrote about the downtrodden and social issues. Our picks:
Oru Manidhan Oru Vidu Oru Ulakam
Oru Nadikai Nadakam Parkkiral
Anuradha Ramanan
Writer Anuradha Ramanan was born in 1947 in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Her grandfather R. Balasubramaniam was an actor who inspired Anuradha to become a writer. She
wrote on social issues and some of her works were adapted into films.
Our picks
Meendum Meendum
Unnai Pol Oruthi
Oomai Manithargal
