Rajam Krishnan

Rajam Krishnan was born in Musiri, Tiruchirapalli district. She had very little formal education and appears to have been largely an autodidact.^[2]

She started publishing in her twenties. She is known for writing well researched social novels on the lives of people usually not depicted in modern Tamil literature - poor farmers, salt pan workers, small-time criminals, jungle dacoits, under-trial prisoners and female labourers. She has written more than 80 books.^[3] Her works include forty novels, twenty plays, two biographies and several short stories. In addition to her own writing, she was a translator of literature from Malayalam to Tamil.^[4] In their anthology of Women's Writing in India in the 19th and 20th Century, Susie J Tharu and K Lalita credit Krishnan with "having set a new trend in Tamil literature," referring to the extensive research that Krishnan did in evaluating social conditions as background for her writing.^[4]

In 1973, she was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil for her novel Verukku Neer.^[5] In 2009, her works were nationalised by the Government of Tamil Nadu, for a compensation of Rs. 300,000. It was a rare occurrence as only works of dead writers are usually nationalised in Tamil Nadu.^[6][7][8]

Rajam was left poor and destitute in her later years and had to be admitted to an old age home.^[1] She died on 20 October 2014.^[1]

• Uthara Kaandam - (உத்தர காண்டம்)
• Kurinji Then - (குறிஞ்சித்தேன்)Kannada & Malayalam Translations are published
• Valaikaram - (வளைக்கரம்)
• Verukku Neer - (வேருக்கு நீர்)Kannada Translation available
• Malargal - (மலர்கள்) ^[9]
• Mullum Malarndhadhu - (முள்ளும் மலர்ந்தது)
• Paadaiyil Padinda Adigal - (பாதையில் பதிந்த அடிகள்)
• Alaivaai Karayile - (அலைவாய் கரையிலே) ^[10]
• Karippu Manigal - (கரிப்பு மணிகள்) ^[11]
• Mannakattu puntulikal - (மண்ணகத்துப் பூந்துளிகள்)
• Sathiya Velvi - (சத்திய வேள்வி)
• Suzhalil Mithakkum Deepangal (Lamps in the Whirlpool) (1987)