Matavaiya

Matavaiya was one of most reputed novelists in Tamil literature who created many noteworthy literary works such as Patmavatiyin Carittiram, Muttu Minatci and Vijaya Marttantan and adequately contributed to the development of Tamil literature. Patmavatiyin Carittiram is considered as one of the most realistic novels in Tamil. Matavaiya, who lived from the year 1872 to 1925, composed the novel Patmavatiyin Carittiram written in the year 1898 and the work describes its various characters elaborately. The enthusiasm of the Tamil novelist is evident through the work of the widely popular Tamil novel. A number of events are connected together in the literary work of Patmavatiyin Carittiram and the plot comprises of a chain of events, as one event leads to another.

The main plot of the tale revolves around the doubt and distrust of the husband of the female protagonist Patmavati. Matavaiya wrote two exceptional works other than Patmavatiyin Carittiram, these are Vijaya Marttantan and Muttu Minatci. In these Tamil literary works the much respected author portrays from various angles and levels, the social life of Chettiyars and Maravars Chettiyars, as well as lawyers and judges. The work of Muttu Minatci is considered as a radical and revolutionary novel as it depicts the tale about the despair and suffering of a young widow through a biographical narration. It was for the first time in the history of Tamil novels, the author Matavaiya provided a clear and lucid definition between content and form.

Matavaiya, after his retirement from services, edited a magazine named Pancamirtam. He published various short stories, poems, political essays and literary criticisms through the magazine. He also undertook the pseudonym Konak Kopalan and himself composed many essays and verses. He utilised the Pancamirtam magazine in order to fight age old superstitious beliefs and customs that existed during that time period. Matavaiya also wrote many stories for children, like other well known writers such as Pala Vinotak Kataikal, Taksna Carittira Virar and Pala Ramayanam, in a simple style which was easily understandable by the children.

Matavaiya constructed two plays namely Paristar Pancanatam and Tirumalai Cetupati and even translated Othello by Shakespeare into Tamil language. The poems of Matavaiya were accumulated and compiled into 2 anthology series which are popularly known as Putumatirik Kalyanappatal and Potu Tarma Catkita Mancari. Further more, another work of Matavaiya titled Acarac Cirtiruttam revealed his rising eagerness for social reform and improvement. His short stories were published in three volumes known as Kucikar Kuttik Kataikal. These stories provided a much needed momentum to the development of short stories in Tamil literature.