Lakshmi Kannan Explained

Lakshmi Kannan, also known by her Tamil pen name Kaaveri, (born 1947) is an Indian poet, novelist and short story writer. Writing in Tamil, she translates her works into English.[1] [2] Her poetry has received positive reviews in the Indian press.[3]

Biography

Born in Mysore in south-western India on 13 August 1947, Kannan graduated in English language and literature at the University of Delhi before earning a PhD from Calcutta's Jadavpur University in 1977. In addition to her writing, Kannan has spent at least 15 years teaching English.[4] In 1993, she was writer in residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. Thereafter, career assignments have included fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla, India, convenor for Tamil Bhasha Samiti at the K.K. Birla Foundation, Delhi, scholar in residence at the American Studies Research Centre in Hyderabad, group chief, Bharat Soka Gakkai, member of the governing body of the Poetry Society of India and member of the jury for the Commonwealth Writers Prize, Eurasia.[5] She has also been an honorary fellow in writing at the University of Iowa and British Council visitor at the University of Cambridge.[6]

Publications

Kannan released three poetry collections in English from 1974 to 1985, authored three short story volumes between 1986 and 1993, and published a novel in 1998. She is particularly celebrated for her sharp, brief verses concerned with a woman's search for identity, the place of nature in human experience, or cultural identity. They frequently examine how women are viewed in Indian society, adopting an increasingly feminist tone. Her short stories are her own translations of their Tamil originals. They focus on the experiences of middle-class women in both India and abroad. There is however one exception in Muniyakka which deals with the lower classes.[4] In her novel Going Home, also translated from the original Tamil, Kannan tells the nostalgic story of a housewife in Delhi who yearns for her affluent past. The tale constantly evokes the hypocrisy of cultured Tam Brahm communities.[7]

Poems

Short stories

Novel

Personal details

Kannan was married to L.V. Kannan, now deceased. She lives in New Delhi, India.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: (Organization). Kali for Women. Alexander. Meena. Truth Tales: Contemporary Stories by Women Writers of India. 1990. Feminist Press at CUNY. 978-1-55861-012-5. 178–.
  2. Web site: Lakshmi Kannan. Muse India. 11 November 2016 .
  3. News: Two different kinds of craft . 3 July 2003. The Hindu. 11 November 2016 .
  4. Book: Benson. Eugene. Benson. University Professor Emeritus of English Eugene. Conolly. L.W.. Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. 2004. Routledge. 978-1-134-46848-5. 753–.
  5. Book: Publications, Europa. International Who's Who in Poetry 2005. 2004. Routledge. 978-1-135-35519-7. 818–.
  6. Book: Publications, Europa. International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004. 2003. Psychology Press. 978-1-85743-179-7. 283–.
  7. Going Home. India Today. 12 April 1999. 12 November 2016 .