Poomani

Last updated

Poomani
Born1947 (1947)
Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Novelist, short story writer
Language Tamil
Nationality Indian
GenreFiction
SubjectLiterature
Notable works Piragu
Vekkai
Varappugal
Vaaikkal
Notable awardsSahithya Academy Award
(2014) Agnaadi

Poomani (born 1947) is an Indian writer and novelist. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2014 in the Tamil language category for his novel Agnaadi.

Contents

Life and works

Poomani was born in 1947 into a family of marginal farmers in Andipatti, a village near Kovilpatti. [1]

In his youth, Poomani was enchanted by the stories he heard around him growing up, as told by his mother and in his community. [1] As a young man, the works of Ki. Rajanarayanan, a senior writer from Kovilpatti, inspired Poomani to take up writing. [1] According to Poomani, KiRa combined in his writing "the scent of the soil with the natural flow of life's energies to enable the writing to develop its own traits, instead of borrowing from other models". [1] He was also influenced by P. Kesavadev's Malayalam novel, Ayalkar, published in English as The Neighbours (1979). [1] Poomani found in Ayalkar a worthy model: "It is a strong story, told with an aesthetic narrative style and keen imagination. The imagination adds lustre to the nature of the story, instead of dominating it. Changes and values arise anew on their own. The narration brings many things alive for the reader, carries him to the terrain of the story and stands him there. It makes him walk alongside, cry and laugh. When everything is wrapped up at the end, it makes him think." [1]

Poomani's historical novel Agnaadi (January 2012) has been called "a landmark work". [1] It covers a period of more than 170 years from the beginning of the 19th century, revolving mainly around the lives and fortunes of several families dispersed over villages in the region: Kalingal, Kazhugumalai, Chatrapatti, Veppankadu, Chinnaiahpuram and Sivakasi. [1] The families are from a range of castes (Devendrakula Velalars, Vannaars, Panaiyeri Nadars, Naickers and Thevars) and occupations (farmers, washermen, toddy-tappers, landed squires and warriors). [1] Poomani received a 28-month study and research grant from Indian Foundation of the Arts in Bengaluru to study the history of the novel. [1] The novel won the inaugural Gitanjali Literary Prize. [2]

Poomani's Vekaai was also translated from Tamil to English by N. Kalyan Raman and published as Heat (2019) by Juggernaut Books.[ citation needed ]

Poomani's debut novel and one of the pioneering subaltern novels of Tamil Nadu "Piragu" has been translated into English by T. Marx and published as "And Then" by Emerald Publishers (December 2019) https://www.amazon.in/Then-Poomani-ebook/dp/B0876XHB75 https://emeraldpublishers.com/product/and-then/ Poomani's short story Thakanam was translated into English by T Marx and was published in Sahitya Akademi's Journal Indian Literature under the tile Cremation Cremation Poomani, T. Marx Indian Literature, Vol. 54, No. 1 (255) (January/February 2010), pp. 143-151 (9 pages) https://www.jstor.org/stable/23344198 Poomani directed the award-winning movie Karuvelam Pookkal (1996) for NFDC. [3] [4] [5]

Awards

Bibliography

Novels

Short story collections

Film

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashokamitran</span> Indian writer

Ashokamitran was the pen name of Jagadisa Thyagarajan, an Indian writer regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-independent Tamil literature. He began his prolific literary career with the prize-winning play "Anbin Parisu" and went on to author more than two hundred short stories, and a dozen novellas and novels. A distinguished essayist and critic, he was the editor of the literary journal "Kanaiyaazhi". He has written over 200 short stories, nine novels, and some 15 novellas besides other prose writings. Most of his works have also been translated into English and other Indian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, and Telugu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. S. Madhavan</span> Indian writer of Malayalam literature (born 1948)

N. S. Madhavan is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Known for his novel, Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal and a host of short stories such as Higuita, Thiruthu, Chulaimedile Shavangal and Vanmarangal Veezhumpol, Madhavan also writes football columns and travel articles. He is a distinguished fellow of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and a recipient of several major awards including Odakkuzhal Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel, Muttathu Varkey Award, Mathrubhumi Literary Award, Crossword Book Award and Kerala State Students Federation Sahithyolsav Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sa. Kandasamy</span> Indian writer (1940–2020)

Sa. Kandasamy was a novelist and documentary film-maker from Mayiladuthurai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in Tamil for his novel, Vicharanai Commission in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ki. Rajanarayanan</span> Indian Tamil language folklorist and author (1923–2021)

Rayangala Shri Krishna Raja Narayana Perumal Ramanujam Naicker, shortened to Ki. Rajanarayanan and popularly known by his Tamil initials as Ki. Ra., was an Indian Tamil language folklorist and acclaimed writer from Kovilpatti, in Tamil Nadu. Some of his popular works include Gopalla Grammam, Gopallapurathu Makkal, Mayamaan, and Nattuppura Kadhai Kalanjiyam. He was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991.The Times of India called him the "Guardian of Tamil oral tradition".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Selvaraj</span> Indian writer (1938–2019)

D. Selvaraj was an Indian writer who wrote novels, short stories, and plays in the Tamil language. A lawyer by profession, he was involved in various Communist and left-leaning writers' organisations such as the Democratic Writers Association of India and the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Association (TNPWA), of which he was an executive committee member. He received the Tamil Nadu Government's literary award for the best novel of 2011 for his work on tannery workers of Southern Tamil Nadu titled Thol. He did the field work for Thol for a decade before writing it. The novel was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for Tamil in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subhash Chandran</span> Indian writer

Subhash Chandran is a Malayalam novelist, short story writer and journalist from Kerala, India. His work includes the 2010 novel Manushyanu Oru Aamukham and the stories "Vadhakramam", "Sanmargam", "Parudeesa Nashtam" and "Guptham", which have been adapted into films. Chandran is the only writer to receive Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards for both his debut story collection (2001) and debut novel (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Su. Samuthiram</span>

Su. Samuthiram, was a Tamil writer from Tamil Nadu, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan</span> Indian writer

T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan, was a Tamil, writer, translator, journalist and literary critic from Tamil Nadu, India. He is also known as T. M. C. Ragunathan, Tho. Mu. Si. Ragunathan or by his Tamil initials as Tho. Mu. Si.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thi. Ka. Sivasankaran</span>

Thi. Ka. Sivasankaran or T. G. Sivasankaran, was a Tamil writer and critic from Tamil Nadu, India. He is popularly known by his Tamil initials as Thi. Ka. Si.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. R. Meera</span> Indian writer

K. R. Meera is an Indian author and journalist, who writes in Malayalam. She was born in Sasthamkotta, Kollam district in Kerala. She worked as a journalist in Malayala Manorama but later resigned to concentrate more on writing. She started writing fiction in 2001 and her first short story collection Ormayude Njarambu was published in 2002. Since then she has published five collections of short stories, two novellas, five novels and two children's books. She won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for her short-story, Ave Maria. Her novel Aarachaar (2012) is widely regarded as one of the best literary works produced in Malayalam language. It received several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (2013), Odakkuzhal Award (2013), Vayalar Award (2014) and Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award (2015). It was also shortlisted for the 2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanjil Nadan</span> Tamil writer

Nanjil Nadan is the pseudonym of G. Subramaniam, a Sahitya academy winning Tamil writer from Tamil Nadu, India.

The Hindu Literary Prize or The Hindu Best Fiction Award, established in 2010, is an Indian literary award sponsored by The Hindu Literary Review which is part of the newspaper The Hindu. It recognizes Indian works in English and English translation. The first year, 2010, the award was called The Hindu Best Fiction Award. Starting in 2018 a non-fiction category was included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Venkatesan</span> Writer and Indian politician

S. Venkatesan, also known as Su. Venkatesan, is a Tamil writer from Tamil Nadu, India and Tamil Nadu State Committee member of CPI(M). Venkatesan is a state committee member of the Party and a whole-timer of the Party. He is the state Honorary President of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association.

<i>Karuvelam Pookkal</i> 1996 film directed by Poomani

Karuvelam Pookkal is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Poomani. It was jointly produced by National Film Development Corporation of India, and Doordarshan. It stars Nasser, Radhika, Thalaivasal Vijay and Charle among others. The film's music is composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

The Gitanjali Literary Prize is a Franco-Indian literary award established in 2012. It was founded by the Mohsen Hachtroudi Foundation and CHG Earth Group. A Francophone author and an Indian author each receive a prize which includes a Gitanjali Medal, a literary sojourn of 15 days, and a translation of the work. The French book will be edited in India by an Indian editor and the book in any of the Indian languages will be published by a French editor. Any Francophone country is eligible as are many of the major Indian regional languages. The prize is open to all works and genres that correspond to the theme of the year. The prize is named for the collection of poems Gitanjali (1910) by Nobel-laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

<i>Agnaadi</i> Book by Poomani

Agnaadi is a fictional historical novel written by Tamil writer Poomani. Set in the 19th century, it deals with the lives of people from the Kalingal, Kazhugumalai, Chatrapatti, Veppankadu, Chinnaiahpuram, and Sivakasi region over a span of 170 years. The novel revolves around the caste conflicts and discrimination among the different castes of the area, such as the Vannars, Devendrakula Velalars, Panaiyeri Nadars and Thevars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perumal Murugan</span> Indian writer (born 1966)

Perumal Murugan is an Indian writer, scholar and literary chronicler who writes in Tamil. He has written twelve novels, six collections of short stories, six anthologies of poetry and many of the non-fiction books. Ten of his novels have been translated into English: Seasons of the Palm, which was shortlisted for the Kiriyama Prize in 2005, Current Show, One Part Woman, A Lonely Harvest, Trail by Silence, Poonachi or the Story of a Goat, Resolve, Estuary, Rising Heat, and Pyre He was a professor of Tamil at the Government Arts College in Salem Attur and Namakkal.

Vishnupuram Ilakkiya Vattam is a literary organization created by Tamil writer Jeyamohan and his readers and fans. It is named after his noted work Vishnupuram. It is currently based out of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India and is being coordinated by K.V.Arangasamy. It awards the Vishnupuram Award every year.

Cho Dharman is an Indian Tamil writer. He was born in Kovilpatti Taluk in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. The real name is S. Dharmaraj. Cho Dharman's novel Koogai, a stunning account of Tamil lives in post-independence India, was translated into English as The Owl. Cho, has authored nine books, won several awards and much critical acclaim for his novels, non-fiction and short stories. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2019 under Tamil language category for his novel Sool.

Gowri Kirubanandan is a Tamil writer known for her Telugu - Tamil translation works. She won Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize in 2015 for her translation of Telugu novel Vimuktha, by Volka into Tamil, titled Meetchi.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 N Kalyan Raman (1 February 2012). "Clashing By Night". The Caravan . Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 Staff writer (2 December 2012). "Winners of Gitanjali Literary Awards announced". The Hindu . Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Tamil Nadu Government Cinema Awards". Dinakaran. Archived from the original on 3 February 1999. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  4. "Film Review: Karuvelam Pookal". The Hindu . 29 September 2000. Archived from the original on 9 November 2004. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  5. "Absorbing asides". The Hindu . 12 April 2002. Archived from the original on 8 September 2003. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  6. Prasad, Ayyappa. "Caste discrimination continues in Tamil Nadu". TruthDive. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. Staff writer (2 December 2012). "Gitanjali Literary Prize to Tamil, French writers". The New Indian Express . Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  8. "Adil Jussawalla wins Sahitya Akademi Award 2014". Business Standard. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.

‘And Then’: True to the land and its tongue https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/and-then-true-to-the-land-and-its-tongue/article30185616.ece