Melanmai Ponnusamy

Melanmai Ponnusamy (Tamil: மேலாண்மை பொன்னுசாமி, born 1951) is a Tamil writer from Tamil Nadu, India. He was born in Mela Marainadu village in Virudhunagar District. He is a farmer by profession who also runs a grocery shop in his village. He is a Marxist by political orientation and a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). His first short story was published in 1972 in the literary journal Semmalar (lit. Red flower. CPI-M's literary publication). His works have since appeared in mainstream Tamil magazines like Ananda Vikatan and Kalki. He credits Soviet literature as a major influence in his writing style and choice of subjects. His works are set in rural Tamil Nadu and deal with the lives of peasants. As of 2009, he has written 23 short story collections, six novellas, six novels and an essay collection. He was awarded the 2008 Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil his short story Minsarapoo (lit. the electric flower). He was also awarded the 2009 Makkal TV award for his contributions to Tamil Literature. He is a founder member and the current general secretary of the Marxist writers' organisation - Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Association (TNPWA). He is married to Ponnuthai and has three children.