Lesson - 2

p10132 Emergence & Growth of Novels

    This lesson talks about the emergence and growth of Tamil novels. The growth of Tamil novels is divided into three different phases. The second half of the 19th century saw the growth of Tamil novels. Authors who had prior knowledge of English were the first ones to compose novels in Tamil. Vedanaayagam Pillai's "Prataapa Mudaliar Sarithiram" was the first novel published in Tamil. The first phase of Tamil novels saw the emergence of authors like Vedanaayagam Pillai, Panditha S.M. Natesa Shastri and A. Maadhvaiya. The seconde phase witnessed authors such as Vaduvoor K. Duraisamy Iyengar. Arni Kuppusami Mudaliar and K.R. Rangaraju. Authors of the third phase were those who emerged after 1940. Significant among them were Kalki, Agilan, Arignar Anna, Kalaignar Karunanidhi and Sivasankari. Vedanaayagam Pillai is considered to be the father of Tamil novels. Panditha S.M. Natesa Shastri is considered to be the father of thriller novels in Tamil. A few of his works are Deenadayalu and Madhiketta Manaivi. Detective novels were common during the period 1910-1940. These novels were inspired by the works of Western authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Reynolds. Famous authors of detective novels in Tamil were Arni Kuppusami Mudaliar, Vaduvoor Duraisamy Iyengar and K.R. Rangaraju. Rathinapuri Ragasiyam and Marungaapuri Maaya Kolai were some famous detective novels published during that era.

    The period after independence witnessed a growth in novels as well as authors who composed novels. These authors are classified based on their field of specialization. They are historical novelists, novelists depicting independence struggle, novelist dealing with social issues, novelists portraying family problems and regional novelists. Famous among historical novelists is Kalki R. Krishnamurthy. A few of Kalki's works include Parthiban Kanavu, Sivakamiyin Sabatham and Ponniyin Selvan.

    From this lesson we have learnt about the emergence and growth of Tamil novels. The first Tamil novel was published by Vedanaayagam Pillai. The growth of Tamil novels is classified into three different periods. Each of these periods saw the growth of different types of novels. Authors after independence concentrated on selected areas such as historical incidents or the independence struggle. Hence, this lesson gives us a brief introduction to the emergence and growth of Tamil novels.