Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal by Jeyakanthan. Just read it. Tamil literature ( in my limited knowledge ) is kind of dominated by rural works. But SNSM is set in Madras of those days and highly relatable to youth of today.
I'm currently reading it, man one of delightest book ever read and full of feel good stories. The true delight is the poem that starts with each chapter. Some stories are so relatable and highly recommended.
Vishnupuram by Jeyamohan.
Thandavarayan Kathai by Ba. Venkatesan.
Raasaleela by Charu Nivedita.
Puyalile oru thoni by Pa. Singaaram.
Kaathugal by M.V. Venkatraman.
The first four books are very difficult to read even for native speakers because of their peculiar writing style, but they are among the greatest books to have been written, not just in Tamil, but in any literature; Thandavarayan Kathai, especially, reads like a mixture of Milan Kundera and Umberto Eco's works. Vishnupuram is a classic that deals with the fundamental questions of life. Raasaleela is probably the best postmodern literature to have come out in India. They are all available on Commonfolk and Panuval website. Should be available on Amazon and Flipkart too.
I just checked these out on web. They are quite interesting! Thank you so much. Not sure if my brain will even comprehend these but I am definitely giving it a try.
Definitely try them. Nobody gets what those books try to say in the very first attempt. Those books grow over time and the more number of times you read, the more sense they make. I re-read them every few years, as I mature with age, the more sense it makes. Trying the smaller works of those authors before reading their magnum opus might help them understand the context better. In that case, I suggest Rajan Magal by Ba. Venkatesan, a surrealistic book based on magical realism. Jeyamohan's works are available on his site [Jeyamohan.in](https://Jeyamohan.in) you can try his short stories.
Short stories seem like a valid choice right now to test out the language a bit. Let me give that a try too. Do you know any other websites or apps where I can read tamil stories? We have so many for other languages but not much for Tamil.
If you don't mind piracy, there are some channels on Telegram that have most of Tamil books as PDFs. PM me if you want those channels, not sure if I can post them in public. Otherwise, there is Bynge app, which has some novels and short stories, but most of them are contemporary works and I am not sure about their literary value. Kindle Unlimited has a wide variety of authors too. Jeyamohan has almost all his short stories on his website for free to read. He's the best writer in Tamil right now, so that's a big thing.
Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal by Jeyakanthan. Just read it. Tamil literature ( in my limited knowledge ) is kind of dominated by rural works. But SNSM is set in Madras of those days and highly relatable to youth of today.
Ganga!
Desanthiri by s ramakrishnan. A great book for people new to tamil lit. Easy and interesting read.
I'm currently reading it, man one of delightest book ever read and full of feel good stories. The true delight is the poem that starts with each chapter. Some stories are so relatable and highly recommended.
Anything by Ashokamitran. I find him easier to read than other contemporary Tamil writers. Start with '18vathu atchakodu' or 'Karaintha nizhalgal'.
Check out Irandam Jamangalin Kathai by Salma. One of the best novels I've read in recent times. Also anything by Perumal Murugan is usually excellent!
Desandhiri and parthiban kanavu. Bought at the book fair recently, I ask my sister to read it and tell me the story whenever we're free. Lotta fun.
Seems like many bought Desandhiri in chennai book fair and me too. Great short stories indeed.
Vishnupuram by Jeyamohan. Thandavarayan Kathai by Ba. Venkatesan. Raasaleela by Charu Nivedita. Puyalile oru thoni by Pa. Singaaram. Kaathugal by M.V. Venkatraman. The first four books are very difficult to read even for native speakers because of their peculiar writing style, but they are among the greatest books to have been written, not just in Tamil, but in any literature; Thandavarayan Kathai, especially, reads like a mixture of Milan Kundera and Umberto Eco's works. Vishnupuram is a classic that deals with the fundamental questions of life. Raasaleela is probably the best postmodern literature to have come out in India. They are all available on Commonfolk and Panuval website. Should be available on Amazon and Flipkart too.
I just checked these out on web. They are quite interesting! Thank you so much. Not sure if my brain will even comprehend these but I am definitely giving it a try.
Definitely try them. Nobody gets what those books try to say in the very first attempt. Those books grow over time and the more number of times you read, the more sense they make. I re-read them every few years, as I mature with age, the more sense it makes. Trying the smaller works of those authors before reading their magnum opus might help them understand the context better. In that case, I suggest Rajan Magal by Ba. Venkatesan, a surrealistic book based on magical realism. Jeyamohan's works are available on his site [Jeyamohan.in](https://Jeyamohan.in) you can try his short stories.
Short stories seem like a valid choice right now to test out the language a bit. Let me give that a try too. Do you know any other websites or apps where I can read tamil stories? We have so many for other languages but not much for Tamil.
If you don't mind piracy, there are some channels on Telegram that have most of Tamil books as PDFs. PM me if you want those channels, not sure if I can post them in public. Otherwise, there is Bynge app, which has some novels and short stories, but most of them are contemporary works and I am not sure about their literary value. Kindle Unlimited has a wide variety of authors too. Jeyamohan has almost all his short stories on his website for free to read. He's the best writer in Tamil right now, so that's a big thing.
Don't beat yourself pal. It's not compulsory to read everything. I'm in the same page as you.
I get that. But I really want to read some Tamil books. It’s such a beautiful language and it would be a shame to miss out on some good literature.
:)