Rubber (novel)
1990 novel by Jeyamohan
Rubber (1990) was the first published novel of Indian author Jeyamohan. It was the first major work in Tamil that explored ecological and environmental theme as a context for ethical degradation in Tamil fiction. Set as a multi-generational family drama taking place against the backdrop of rubber plantations, the novel describes the hunger for social and commercial growth that inevitably exploits the environment. Rubber, introduced into India as a cash crop, is the alien species that chokes the land and destroys the values symbolized by the traditional Banana tree. The novel was widely acclaimed and won the Akhilan Memorial prize in 1990 heralding the arrival of Jeyamohan in the Indian literary scene.
Development
Jeyamohan had first written the novel in 1986 and had revised it through 1988. He further edited it down for length and submitted to the Akhilan Memorial prize in 1990. As it won the prize and gained fame, Akhilan Kannan's Thamizh Puthagalayam published the novel under its Dhaagam imprint.
Plot
The story traces the rise and fall of the Peruvattar family, rubber plantation owners based in the Kanyakumari Nanjil district in Tamil Nadu. The story begins in the present and moves back briefly to trace the early life of the family patriarch Ponnu Peruvattar.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Rubber (novel)” as 1990 novel by Jeyamohan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1990 novel by Jeyamohan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12988348. The first chronological checks are 1990, 1986 and 1988.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Rubber (novel)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.