Vishnupuram Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (2022) Winner
Charu Nivedita
チャルー・ニヴェーディタ
Charu Nivedita
Pen Names:
Charu Nivedita（Pen name used for literary and public activities）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1953-12-18 （Idumbavanam, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India）
- Nationality
- Indian
- Languages
- Tamil, English
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Essayist
- Active Years
- 1980-
- Influenced By
- Marquis de Sade, Andal
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Jan Michalski Prize for Literature (longlisted) | Zero Degree (English translation) | — | Fondation Jan Michalski | Longlisted |
| 2013 | 50 Writers, 50 Books - The Best of Indian Fiction (selection) | Zero Degree | — | HarperCollins (editorial selection) | Selected |
| 2019 | Kannadasan Award | — | — | Kannadasan Award Committee | Recipient |
| 2021 | Vasagasalai Best Novel of the Year | Naanthaan Aurangzeb (Conversations With Aurangzeb) | — | Vasagasalai | Winner |
| 2022 | Vishnupuram Award | — | — | Vishnupuram Ilakkiya Vattam | Recipient |
| 2024 | Crossword Book Award | Conversations With Aurangzeb (translated edition) | — | Crossword Book Awards | Winner |
Jan Michalski Prize for Literature (longlisted)
2013
Work:
Zero Degree (English translation)
Organization:
Fondation Jan Michalski
Result:
Longlisted
50 Writers, 50 Books - The Best of Indian Fiction (selection)
2013
Work:
Zero Degree
Organization:
HarperCollins (editorial selection)
Result:
Selected
Kannadasan Award
2019
Organization:
Kannadasan Award Committee
Result:
Recipient
Vasagasalai Best Novel of the Year
2021
Work:
Naanthaan Aurangzeb (Conversations With Aurangzeb)
Organization:
Vasagasalai
Result:
Winner
Vishnupuram Award
2022
Organization:
Vishnupuram Ilakkiya Vattam
Result:
Recipient
Crossword Book Award
2024
Work:
Conversations With Aurangzeb (translated edition)
Organization:
Crossword Book Awards
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Zero Degree
1998 Autofiction / Transgressive fiction / Metafiction / PostmodernismAn experimental novel characterized by fragmentary, introspective narration. It mixes themes of self, madness, desire and religious imagery and has been noted as an unconventional work in Tamil literature.
ExistenceMadnessSelf-deconstructionReligion and desire
Translations
- English translation (2013)
- Malayalam translation (included in curricula)
Marginal Man
Novel / ExperimentalA novel portraying figures living at the margins, focusing on social alienation and questions of identity.
AlienationIdentity
Morgue Keeper
Short stories / Dark fictionA collection of short stories published in English (including Kindle). Stories examine death, the body and social detritus.
DeathThe bodyUrban margins
Conversations With Aurangzeb (Naanthaan Aurangzeb)
2023 Historical fiction / SatireA novel that uses the figure of the 17th-century emperor Aurangzeb to weave together satire and historical perspective. The controversial subject matter has earned literary recognition.
PowerRewriting historyReligion and politics
Translations
- English translation (2024, translated by Nandini Krishnan et al.)
Bibliography
- Existentialism and Fancy Baniyan
- Zero Degree
- Rasa Leela
- Kaamarooba Kathaigal
- Thegam
- Marginal Man
- To Byzantium: A Turkey Travelogue
- Unfaithfully Yours (collection of articles)
- Morgue Keeper (selected short stories)
- Naanthaan Aurangzeb (Conversations With Aurangzeb)
Translations of Works
- Zero Degree — English translation (2013)
- Conversations With Aurangzeb — English translation (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Experimental, fragmentary narrationPostmodern techniquesSelf-referential/metafictionalProvocative, transgressive elements
- Recurring Motifs
- Schizoid states of the subjectInterplay of desire and religious imageryDeath and the bodyFigures living on the margins
Legacy
Known in Tamil and Indian contemporary literature as an experimental and provocative writer. His works, notably Zero Degree, have attracted international attention through translations and inclusion in academic curricula, and he has received multiple literary recognitions.
Academic Societies
- Vishnupuram Ilakkiya Vattam
In Popular Culture
- Zero Degree has been included in courses at California State University, Long Beach and in translation programs at the University of Rochester
Quotes
-
I convert my schizoid (state) into an art.
Source: Interview (quoted) (2010) -
There is nothing like planning in my literature; it is written between the schizoid state and dreams.
Source: Interview (quoted) (2010)
Trivia
- Selected among 'Top Ten Indians of the Decade 2001–2010' by The Economic Times
- Zero Degree was translated into English (2013) and longlisted for the Jan Michalski Prize
- Has stated inspirations from Marquis de Sade and Andal
- Conversations With Aurangzeb won a Crossword Book Award in 2024