The World Book Day edition of Kerala Literature Festival captured the very essence and significance of the day, proving that literature embraces diversity. Perumal Murugan, the voice of contemporary Tamil literature was in conversation at the online literature festival. Murugan spoke about the current times and how books play an essential role now.
He took the listeners through a timeline of a first generation learner who became a writer crossing hurdles that followed. Namakkal Kavingar’s book, the first book he bought instilled the habit of reading and was succeeded by many more books. His stint as a writer began with short stories and poems, and later novels. The amusement he experienced on seeing a press and the process of printing for the first time for his first novel “Eeruveil” was heartily shared by the writer.
Encouraging young writers on World Book Day, Murugan encouraged them to be good observers and remain grounded and connected with the world. “Even when imagination has played a fair role, my novels are based in my own experiences,” he concluded.
