

Imayam
The basics
Quick facts
Gender:
Male
Birth:
1964
The details
Biography
Introduction
Imayam (born 1964, pen name of V.Annamalai) is a prominent Indian novelist in Tamil. Imayam’s first novel Koveru Kazhudhaigal, translated as Beasts of Burden by Lakshmi Holmstrom into English, was hailed as a landmark in Dalit fiction.
About his novel Koveru Kazhudaigal the writer Sundara Ramasamy wrote "There is no novel that equals this one in the last 100 years of Tamil writing." However Dalit intellectuals like Raj Gauthaman have criticized the novel for focusing only on shortcomings of Dalits and being the kind of novel that "upper"-castes praised.
Translated into English
- Beasts of Burden' (Koveru Kazhudaigal Novel 2011) - East West Books, Chennai
- Arumugam' Novel (2006) - Kadha, New Delhi.
- [Pethavan - The Begetter]' 2015 - Oxford University Press.
Translated into Kannada
- 'Koveru Kazhudaigal' (Novel) 2009 - Baasha Bharathi, Bangalore.
Translated into Telugu
- 'Pethavan' (Short Novel) 2013
Awards
- Agni Aksara (1994)
- Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers' Award (1994)
- Amudhan Adigal Iiakkiya Award (1998)
- [Junior Fellowship - Dept. of cultural Govt. Of India] - 2000
- [Thamizh Thendral Thiru.V.Ka. Award] - Govt. Of Tamil Nadu - 2009