Janani Kannan

Janani Kannan is a US-based interior architect who enjoys translating Tamil novels and short stories into English. Her translation of Perumal Murugan’s novel Fire Bird received the 2023 JCB Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the Crossword Popular Choice Award 2024. Her published translations of short stories include the works of contemporary Tamil writers, such as Imayam, Latha, Vannanilayan, Su. Ra., Shobashakti and Sujatha Selvaraj.

Originally from Chennai, Janani rediscovered her love for all things Tamil as a young adult. Her self-professed anthropological interests also include collecting and chronicling anecdotes, recipes and architectural nuggets from Tamil culture.