udhumaipithan revolutionised the Tamil short story in form, content and language, making it truer to the lived realities of the times. WHAT distinguishes Pudhumaipithan's short stories, written during a short span of 14 years from 1933 to 1947, from the works of others? This might be a difficult question to answer. Not because one cannot find a suitable answer but because there are likely to be far too many answers, shaded according to each individual reader's literary perspective. An understanding of the term "realism" as used in fiction will be a good entry point to the discussion. Each writer can weave a story differently. For example, there are fairy tales that depict spirits, gnomes, goblins and ghosts of various kinds. This might create an illusory world of horror and conflicts followed by bloodshed that might generate a ripple of psychological response in the readers. Some argue that such stories carry a moral, depicting the conflict between the Good and the Bad. Some stories might bring in Divinity, thereby giving the fable an allegorical significance. There are also the genres of horror and science fiction. The focus in all these stories is a shift away from representing reality towards pure imagination.- By VRIDHACHALEMPILLAY SUBRAMANIAM for Frontline-January 23, 2015
About the Author: Pudhumaipithan, also spelt as Pudumaipithan or Puthumaippiththan is the pseudonym of C. Viruthachalam (25 April 1906 - 5 May 1948), one of the most influential and revolutionary writers of Tamil fiction. His works were characterized by social satire, progressive thinking and outspoken criticism of accepted conventions. Contemporary writers and critics found it difficult to accept his views and his works were received with extreme hostility. He as an individual and his works have been extensively reviewed and debated for over sixty years since his death. His influence has been accepted and appreciated by the present day writers and critics of Tamil fiction. Pudumaippithan's active writing period was less than 15 years (1934-46) in which he wrote nearly 100 short stories, an equal number of essays on a variety of subjects, 15 poems, a few plays and scores of book reviews. His writings gave him a reputation as a maverick. The subjects he wrote on and the characters he chose to portray were completely new to Tamil fiction. He felt that Tamil literature had been crippled by unspoken conventions and openly criticized those who adhered to them.