Firebrand writer Jayakanthan, considered a colossus in Tamil literature, died here on Wednesday night after a prolonged illness. He was 81 and is survived by wife, two daughters, and a son. He won both the Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi Awards.
Jayakanthan significantly enriched modern Tamil literature by portraying the lives of those on the fringes of society.
And he shocked the same society with his nonconformist views, often questioning long-held views on women and chastity.
Sri Lankan Tamil literary critic K. Sivathamby used to say that one of the greatest contributions of Jayakanthan was the change he brought about in the “process of thinking” in the Tamil literary world.
“He wrote about the subjects not explored by others. He identified the agon , a literary device in Greek tragedy indicating conflict, in the lives of the subaltern and popularised it,” he said.
His novels Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal , Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiral , Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan and Cinemavukku Pona Chithalu were adapted as films.