Ka. Naa. Subramanyam

Ka. Naa. Subramanyam (31 January 1912 – 18 December 1988)^[1] was a Tamil writer and critic from Tamil Nadu, India. He is also popularly known by his Tamil initials as Ka. Naa. Su.

Biography

Subramaniam was born in Valangaiman in Thanjavur District. His first noted published work was the novel Poithevu (1946). He also wrote poems using the pseudonym Mayan. He published many literary journals like Ilakkiya vattam, Sooravali and Chandraodayam. He became a literary critic in the 1950s. His reviews first appeared in the magazines Swadesamitran and Saraswathi. He was a friend and contemporary of fellow literary critic C. S. Chellappa with whom he was involved in a long literary feud. He was considered as a rightwinger and Anti-Marxist by left leaning Tamil writers. In 1965, he moved to New Delhi and started writing articles for English language newspapers. For the next twenty years he lived in Delhi and moved back to Chennai only in 1985. In 1986, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil for his literary criticism Ilakkiyathukku oru Iyakkam (lit. A Movement for Literature). After his return to Chennai, he started writing for Tamil magazines like Kungumam, Mutharam, Dina mani Kathir and Thuglak. Pondicherry University made him an honorary professor. He died in 1988. The Government of Tamil Nadu nationalised his works in 2006.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Awards and recognitions

• Sahitya Akademi Award (1986)
• Government of Tamil Nadu award for the short story Kodhai Sirithaal
• Kumaran Asan award

Partial bibliography

Novels

• Sarmavin uyil
• Pasi
• Vaazhvum thaazhvum
• Sakthi vilasam
• Ezhu per
• Oru naal
• Puzhithi ther
• Maalthedi
• Nadutheru
• Gopuravaasal
• Poithevu
• Asurakanam
• Pithappoo

Short story collections

• Manikoondu
• Adarangu
• Karugadha mottu

Literary criticism

• Vimarsana kalai
• Padithirukireergala
• Ulagathu sirandha novelgal
• Ilakkiya Visaaram

Translations

• Anbuvazhi
• Thabaal kaaran
• Madhaguru
• Nilavalam
• Vilangupannai (Animal Farm)

English books

• Tiruvalluvar and his Tirukkural^[9]

References