Sundara Ramaswamy (1931-2005), fondly known as « Su.Ra » in literary circles, was one of the most versatile and innovative of Tamil writers, a great modernist and a dazzling stylist. He wrote in many genres—poetry, novel, short story, play, personal essay and literary criticism—making real interventions in Tamil writing. Each of his three novels is recognized as path-breaking, and he also edited and published a notable literary magazine, Kalachuvadu, which became a forum for new writing and literary debate.