Eminent Kannada writer UR Ananthamurthy died at 82

UR Ananthamurthy, an eminent Kannada writer died on 22 August 2014 at a hospital in Bangalore. The Jnanpith awardee Ananthamurthy died due to kidney failure for which he was admitted in a hospital. He was 82.

Ananthamurthy was a new voice in Kannada literature and is considered as one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. His nomination for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize brought him to the attention of a Western audience.

About Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy
• He was born on 21 December 1932
• During late 1980s, he was also the Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala
• Samskara, a novel of Ananthamurthy published in 1960s was strongly condemned and raised controversy as it questioned established caste conventions and was strongly critical of Brahmin conventions
• In 1984 he won state Rajyothsava award
• Ananthamurthy in his literary life won the Padma Bhushan in 1998
• In 1994, he became a recipient of Jnanpith award, the highest literary honour conferred in India. He was the sixth person among eight recipients of the Jnanpith Award for the Kannada language
• He became a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2004
• In 2008 he received Nadoja Award by Kannada University

Some of his renowned works were
• His main novel works includes Samskara, Bhava, Bharathi Pura, Divya and Avasthe
• His short story collections were Endendhigu Mugiyada Kathe, Mouni, Prashne, Clip Joint, Ghata Shradda, Aakaasha mattu Bekku, Eradu dashakada kategalu and Aidu dashakada kategalu
• His poem works were 15 Padyagalu, Mithuna and Ajjana hegala sukkugalu