U. R. Ananthamurthy

U. R. Ananthamurthy
BornUdupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy
(1932-12-21)21 December 1932
Melige, Thirthahalli, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
Died22 August 2014(2014-08-22) (aged 81)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
OccupationEnglish Professor, Vice Chancellor, President Sahitya Akademi and National Book Trust
NationalityIndian
Alma materMysore University, University of Birmingham
Period1950-2014
GenreStory, Novel, Poetry and Criticism
SubjectVarious Themes
Literary movementNavya

Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy (21 December 1932 – 22 August 2014) was an Indian contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language. He was born in Thirtahalli Taluk and is considered one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. In 1994, he became the sixth Kannada writer to be honored with the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in India. In 1998, he received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India. He was the vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala during the late 1980s. He was one of the finalists of Man Booker International Prize for the year 2013. He remained a fervent critic of nationalistic political parties until his death from kidney failure and cardiac arrest on 22 August 2014.