Krishnamurthy Hanuru

Bio

Krishnamurthy Hanuru is from Hanuru, a village near Mysuru. He did his Master’s and PhD in Kannada literature at Bangalore University, under the guidance of Dr. M Chidananda Murthy.

He has taught Kannada literature and folklore for over fifty years. He taught Kannada in various colleges across Karnataka for 28 years, joined the Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies, University of Mysore, in 1999, and retired in 2012. He served as Professor Emeritus at the University of Mysore from 2012-2014. In 2015, he joined the Dr. BR Ambedkar Post Graduation Centre, Chamarajanagara and he is now Visiting Professor at Manteswamy Peetha, Chamarajanagara University. In 2019, 2022, and 2024, he was a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Mattoo Center for India Studies at Stony Brook University, New York.

He is a renowned folklore scholar, creative writer, and critic in Kannada. He has published over 55 books. From 1985 to 1990, he served as an editor of The Encyclopaedia of Folk Culture of Karnataka for the Institute of Asian Studies, an English version of Kannada Janapada Vishvakosha.

His most famous novel is Ajnathanobbana Atmacharitre, of which Kolkata’s Bee Books has published an English translation as Agnyatha: The Memoir of Tipu’s Unknown Commander. His recent works are the novels, Siddiya Kay Chandranatta, Kalayatre, and Kannamari. His memoir, Kalu Daariya Kathanagalu, narrates his 40 years of folklore research and field work. He has been awarded the Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasthi, Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and Karnataka Janapada Academy Award.