Telugu is a richly developed language and the biggest linguistic unit in India, second only to Hindi. Linguistically, the language has deviated from Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam. It is an old one too, with origins as early as the 1st century AD, or perhaps even before as one of the later Vedas (700BC) mentions the Andhras, another name for the people of Andhra Pradesh. Early inscriptions of the language date from around the 6th century, but a proper literary career starts five centuries later. The script, almost similar to that of Kannada, took shape in 1000AD from the Pahlava script of 7AD. Telugu literature is generally divided into six periods, viz.,
(1) The pre-Nannaya period (up to A.D. 1020),
(2) The Age of the Puranas (1020-1400),
(3) The Age of Srinatha (1400-1510),
(4) The Age of the Prabandhas (1510-1600),
(5) The Southern period (1600-1820), and
(6) The Modern Period (after 1820).

In the earliest period there were only inscriptions from A.D. 575 onwards. Nannaya`s (1022-1063) translation of the Sanskrit Mahabharata into Telugu is the piece of Telugu literature as yet discovered. The diction is so masterly that historians think that there must have been earlier works in Telugu. After the death of Nannaya, there was a kind of social and religious revolution in the Telugu country.

During this period, some Telugu poets translated Sanskrit poems and dramas, while others attempted original narrative poems. The popular Telugu literary form called the Prabandha, was evolved during this period. Srinatha (1365-1441) was the foremost poet, who popularized this style of composition (a story in verse having a tight metrical scheme). Srinatha`s, Sringara Naishadham is particularly well known. The earliest Ramayana in Telugu is generally known as the Ranganatha Ramayana, though authorised by the chief Gona Buddha Reddi.

Then there were the great religious poets like Potana (1450-1510), Jakkana (second half of the 14th century) and Gaurana (first half of the 15th century). The golden period of Telugu literature was the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. Krishnadevaraya`s Amuktamalayada is regarded as a Mahakavya. Peddana`s Manucharitra is another outstanding Mahakavya. Telugu literature flourished in the south in the Samsthanas like Madurai, Tanjavur etc., and that is why the age itself was called the `Southern Period`. We find a comparatively larger number of poets among the rulers, women and non-Brahmins who popularized the desi metres.

With the conquest of the Deccan by the Mughals in A.D.1687, there ensued a period of decadence (1750-1850) in literature. Then emerged a period of transition (1850-1910), following a long period of Renaissance. The Europeans like C.P.Brown played an important role in the development of Telugu language and literature. In common with the rest of India, the European literary forms like the novel, short story, prose, drama and belles-litters increasingly influenced Telugu literature of this period.

The father of modern Telugu literature is Kandukuri Viresalingam Pantulu (1848--1919), who wrote a novel, Rajasekhara Charitamu, inspired by the Vicar of Wakefield. He was the first person in modern times to use literature to eradicate social evils. Even Viswanatha Satyanarayana had won the coveted Jnanapith Award. ``Kanyasulkam`` (Bride-Money), the first social play in Telugu by Gurazada Appa Rao was a thumping success. The well-known modern Telugu novelists were Unnava Lakshminarayana (of Malapalli fame), Viswanatha Satyanarayana (Veyi Padagalu), Kutumba Rao and Buchchi Babu. Telugu is specially known for its daring experiments in the field of poetry and drama.

Most literatures began with translations from Sanskrit. So did Telugu with Nannayabhatta (1020AD), the adikavi or `first poet` of Telugu translating the Mahabharata. It was an unusual translation, with lots of clever innovations but no deviations from the story. But Nannayabhatta could not complete the job. Tikanna came along sometime in the 13th century and furthered it. However, it was Yerrapragada (14th century) was finally able to clinch it. Nannaya, Tikanna and Yerrapragada are known as the kavitraya or `the three great poets` of Telugu for this mammoth effort. Other such translations followed, like Marana`s Markandeya Purana, Ketana`s Dasakumara Charita, Yerrana`s Harivamsa and others. Shaivite (in praise of Shiva) works like Sivatattwa Sara, Basavapurana and Panditaradhya Charitra were a part of this initial stash too.

By the time the Telugu poets wrote down some original stuff along with translations, it was almost the end of the 14th century. Slowly but steadily they picked up, some landmarks being Srinatha`s Sringara Naishadha, Potana`s Dasamaskandha, Jakkana`s Vikramarka Charitra and Talapaka Himmakka`s Subhadra Kalyana. Literary activities flourished, especially during the mighty Vijayanagara emperors. The 16th century was the golden age in the history of Tamil literature, thanks to the king Krishna Deva Raya. The raja, a poet himself, introduced the prabandha (a kind of love poetry) in Telugu literature in his Amukta Malyada. He had in his court the Ashtadiggajas (literal: eight elephants) who were the greatest of poets of the times.

Original verse compositions and stories were written in a new zeal. Of those eight, Allasani Peddana (1510-1575AD) is known as andhra Kavita Pitamahudu or `Grandfather of andhra Poetry`.In the following years, poets still wrote their prabandhas, but kind of overdid on the love bit which make some critics dismiss it as `a decadent age`. Of the dozens of poets of the 18th to mid 19th century, the only bright spot was Kankanti Paparaju, whose, Uttara Ramayana in campu style and the play Vishnumayavilasa were admirable. Innumerable Yakshagansa or indigenous dramas of song and prose works were also produced. Tyagaraya of Tanjore (19th century) composed devotional songs in Telugu which form the repertoire of the classical ragas of South India.

Although the first printed Telugubook was out in 1796, it took some time before the modern period in literature set in. Young men acquainted with English literature tried to imitate Shelly, Keats and Wordsworth, and a new type of romantic poetry called the Bhavakavithwa was born. Bengali novelists like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Ramesh Chandra Dutta were a major influence on modern Telugu fiction. Viresalingam Pantulu (1848-1919) wrote the first novel in Telugu, Rakashekharacharitramu. Other writers joined forces to build modern Teluguliterature, like the dramatist Dharmavaram Krishnamachari, Chilakamarti Lakshminarasimham (also called the `blind poet of andhra Desha`) the poets and dramatists Gurujada Apparavu and D. Krishnamacharlu.