The Gift and Other Stories (Sahitya Akademi Award-Winning Tamil Short Stories)

Ku. Azhagirisamy (1923-1970) was an unassumingly prominent writer, caught in the crossroads of a nationalistic upsurge, and having to respond to the pulls of a realistically -bent creative mind, he wrote in a style, lightveined and yet powerful enough to offer the reader a kaleidoscopic spectrum of the sort of life of his times, his flashes varying in colour and texture, but in no way dark and dismal. One could not miss the sleight-in-hand thread of humour suffusing his work-short stories, plays, novels, critical essays and translations, which saw him at ceaselessly hectic work during his comparatively shorter span of life. He was a consummately-skilled writer, editor, litterateur-all rolled into one. Indubitably, he occupies a pride of place in the annals of modern Tamil literature of the post-Bharatian and Pudumaipitthan generation. He was honoured with Sahitya Akademi, India, award in 1970.

Dr.M.Bhoopathi (Pattu M.Bhoopathi), a teacher of English by Profession, has had a career in creative writing too. He has published short fiction and poetry both in Tamil and English in leading Magazines and Journals. He translates from Tamil into English and from English into Tamil. His translation of a Tamil classic 'Muthollayiram' (Pearls of Passion and Fury) into English, published by Dravidian University, Kuppam, A.P., has won the Nalli-Thisai Ettum Literary Award for 2009. He has about 20 books published to his credit. He is presently Professor Emeritus, Department of Research and Development, Bharath University, Chennai-600 073.

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