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This lesson offers an insight into the prose of Kovi. Manisekaran. Kovi. Manisekaran who has been writing for more than 50 years occupies an important place in Tamil literature. A prolific writer, his works include novels, short stories, plays, essays, and poems. Though he has made forays into several genres, his novels are considered to be the pinnacle of his creative output so much so that he is hailed as ‘pudina perarasu’ or - the emperor of novels.

Two literary giants viz. Aringar Anna and Mu.Varadarajanar were the source of inspiration for Kovi. Manisekaran. The influence of Anna’s elegant prose style is evident in his works.

Kovi.Manisekaran experiments with a wide range of styles in his works. Some of his works written in ‘senthamil’ or pure Tamil bring out the beauty and sweetness of the Tamil language. At the same time he is also adept at writing in the ‘manipiravala nadai’ - a style of writing that combines Tamil words with Sanskrit words. An accomplished poet, he often adopts the ‘ilakkiya nadai’ or literary style lending a strong poetic flavour to his prose. Conversations or dialogues are central to novels and short stories. Kovi. Manisekaran’s ‘uraiyadal nadai’ or conversational style is unique. His characters converse in short, swift sentences that are both effective and engaging. He uses the language of everyday speech i.e., (pechu mozhi nadai) to give a realistic touch to his dialogues. He is also skilled at using regional dialects i.e., (vattara vazhakku) wherever necessary.

Literary devices such as alliteration, similes, metaphor, collocations and proverbs enrich his prose.

Kovi. Manisekaran’s prose is characterized by 6 distinctive features. 1) He writes in a racy style that captures the attention of the readers. 2) There is a subtle undercurrent of humour in his works. 3) He is noted for his vivid descriptions. 4) He has panache for coining new words. 5) He makes frequent use of ‘tharkkurippetra ani’- a figure of speech often employed by novelists. 6) He often uses loan words from Sanskrit and English.