Tamil literature has changed dramatically in the past couple of decades, and is now marked by the emergence of novels that are very different from those of the past. This change has resulted in an increase in sales, writers said, at a conference organised by Sahitya Akademi on Sunday.
In the past couple of decades, three trends have been identifiable, said writer Maalan. “The subaltern, with writing focussed on the oppressed; geographical novels, where the focus has been on the lives and destinies of people in various regions; and the historiographic novels, which are based on historical occurrences from the view point of the oppressed,” he said on the sidelines of Sahitya Akademi’s screening of documentary films on eminent Indian authors.
Other trends include introspective novels and those that explore existential issues, he said.
According to author S. Ramakrishnan, recent Tamil novels have focussed on the oppressed, who were earlier ignored by a majority of writers. “Over the past 25 years, changes in society have been reflected in literature. A large number of Dalit and women writers have also effectively changed the perspective of novels that are coming out,” he said.
There has been a rise in the number of people buying Tamil novels too. For example, the turnover in each of the four annual book fairs in the State is around Rs. 10 crore, he said.
On Sunday, the Sahitya Akademi screened six documentary films based on the lives of contemporary authors.
“We decided to make films based on the lives of living authors. We filmed them with their contemporaries so that their voices, handwriting and conversation styles could be preserved,” officer in-charge of the Sahitya Akademi, Chennai A.S. Ilangovan said.
