Nirmala Lakshman’s book, The Tamils: A Portrait of a Community, won the Sharjah Award for Best International Non-Fiction Book on 4 November 2026.
Award and presentation
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority, presented the award. The category is part of the broader Sharjah International Book Fair Awards, which recognise distinguished English-language non-fiction works.
About the book
Published by Aleph Book Company in January 2025, the book examines the history, society and culture of the Tamil people, tracing their evolution across centuries and influence beyond geographical borders. It has sold several thousand copies since publication. Lakshman is an author, journalist and Director of The Hindu Group.
Important Facts for Exams
- Children’s literature categories: The fair’s Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature distinguishes early-reader, picture, chapter and young-adult books, as well as poetry.
- Akam–puram framework: Classical Tamil poetry divides subject matter into akam (interior life, especially love) and puram (public action, war and praise), organizing themes rather than literary periods.
- Sangam corpus structure: The Sangam corpus is conventionally organized into the Eight Anthologies (Ettuthokai) and Ten Idylls (Pattuppattu), with distinct landscape-based poetic conventions.
- Classical-language designation: Tamil was the first Indian language designated classical, in 2004; India’s designation framework evaluates antiquity, ancient literary heritage and a distinct tradition.
