Melanmai Ponnusamy
Born1951 (1951)
Melanmarainadu, Virudhunagar district, Tamilnadu
Died (aged 66)
OccupationWriter

Melanmai Ponnusamy (1951 – 30 October 2017) was a Tamil writer from Tamil Nadu, India. He was born in Melanmarainadu village [மேலாண்மறை நாடு] in Virudhunagar District. He was a farmer by profession who also ran a grocery shop in his village. He was a Marxist by political orientation and a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). His first short story was published in 1972 in the literary journal Semmalar (lit. Red flower. CPI-M's literary publication). His works have since appeared in mainstream Tamil magazines like Ananda Vikatan and Kalki. He credited Soviet literature as a major influence in his writing style and choice of subjects. His works are set in rural Tamil Nadu and deal with the lives of peasants. As of 2009, he has written 23 short story collections, six novellas, six novels and an essay collection. He was awarded the 2008 Sahitya Akademi Award for his Tamil short story Minsarapoo (lit. the electric flower). He was also awarded the 2009 Makkal TV award for his contributions to Tamil Literature. He was a founder member and the general secretary of the Marxist writers' organisation - Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Association (TNPWA). He was married to Ponnuthai and had three children.[1][2][3][4][5] He died on 30 October 2017.[6]

References

  1. ^ Karthikeyan, D (22 January 2009). "The novelist who captures the rural life in its pristine form". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  2. ^ "'Makkal' award for Shanta, M.Annadurai, Ponnusamy". The Hindu. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  3. ^ "2008 Sahitya Akademi Award list". Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  4. ^ Thurai (24 December 2008). "மேலாண்மை பொன்னுசாமி்க்கு சாகித்திய அகாடமி விருது !". Alaikal (in Tamil). Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  5. ^ "வெள்ளாடுகளை விற்று, முதல் சிறுகதையை வெளியிட்டேன்: மேலாண்மை பொன்னுசாமி". Dinamalar (in Tamil). 26 December 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  6. ^ "Tamil writer Melanmai Ponnusamy no more". The Hindu. 31 October 2017.
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