CHENNAI: Writer S Tamilselvan has won the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Award for his literary history and critical work ‘Tamizh Sirukathaiyin Thadangal’ in the literary criticism category.
The book traces half a century of trends in Tamil short stories and presents a working-class perspective on the genre's evolution. It also engages with contemporary writers while tracing the history of the short story tradition for the present generation.
Tamilselvan, a former president and general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association, has been active in the Tamil literary world for nearly half a century. Beginning with short stories, he has written on a wide range of subjects including literature, culture, education, science, feminism, politics and history.
Regarded as a prominent voice in Tamil literature, Tamilselvan’s book ‘Arasiyal Enakku Pidikkum’, which sold lakhs of copies, explains the Left political ideas to common readers. His work ‘Jindabad Jindabad’ narrates a literary figure’s trade union experiences, while his recent work ‘Thiruppiaditha Varalaru’ documents the century-long history of the red flag movement in the undivided Thanjavur district in a 1,000-page historical account.
Notably, his short story ‘Veyilodu Poi was’ adapted into the film ‘Poo’ in 2008, for which he received the Tamil Nadu State award for best story writer.
CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the award for 2025 had now been announced for Tamilselvan, though it should have been declared two months earlier. He alleged that the announcement was delayed due to political interference by the BJP-led Union government and was released only after widespread criticism.
He added that Tamilselvan has consistently written from the perspective of the working class without compromising on aesthetics, and that his award-winning book ‘Tamizh Sirukathaiyin Thadangal’ reflects the same outlook.
Tamilselvan, who had served as a state committee member of the CPM, has been on the editorial boards of the party’s literary journals, including ‘Semmalar,’ ‘Puthiya Puthagam Pesuthu’ and ‘Pudhuvisai.’