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Lesson - 5 : A04145

HISTORY OF TAMIL LITERATURE
IN THE 20th CENTURY - Part I

The 20th century marks the Renaissance of Tamil literature. Association with foreigners, English education, the growth of science and the consequent revolution in industry, brought about a change in men’s minds. As far as Tamilnad is concerned, the following writers were responsible for steering Tamil literature on a new path:

    Sankaradas Swamigal in the field of (drama)
    உ.வே. Swaminatha Iyer in the area of (publishing)
    Bharathiyar in the field of (poetry)
    Pudumaippithan in the field of (short story)
    Paandithurai Devar in establishing (Tamil sangam)
    Thiru V. Kalyanasundaranar in the field of (prose)
    Maraimalai Adigal in starting (தனித்தமிழ்) movement
    and Vaiyaapuri Pillai in the area of (research)

    The early part of the 20th century saw the emergence of several movements such as the Freedom movement, Thanithamizh movement, Tamil music movement, Gandhism, Socialism, Children’s literature and so on. It was prose which benefitted most by the advent of printing. Essays, short stories, novels, translations, critical works and commentaries appeared in plenty.

    It is உ,வே. Swaminatha Iyer, also called the Grandfather of Tamil, who occupies the most important place in the field of publication. For, it was he who collected and published 87 works during his sixty years of service to Tamil.

    The 20th century saw a boom in the production of stage plays. Initially, the plays were adaptations of those in other languages. Although the plays were popular, the players were looked down upon by the people. It was Sankaradas Swamigal, who mooted the concept that stage actors were “artistes” who deserved to be respected and honoured. This pioneer of Tamil drama was followed by Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, who established an amateur drama troupe and helped in the growth of stage plays and acting.

    Subramanya Bharathi, the national Tamil poet and his follower Bharathidaasan, also appeared during the first part of the 20th century. They popularised simple Tamil, by composing immortal verses which could be understood by one and all.

    Because of the development of printing, travelogues, autobiographies, epistolary works and modern poetry made their mark on the Tamil literary scene. Thus, there was a Renaissance of Tamil literature during the first part of the 20th century.