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Anitha Devi Pillai

Goodreads Author

Born

in singapore, Singapore

Website

https://www.anithadevipillaiauthor.com/

Genre

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction

Influences

https://www.facebook.com/Anitha-Devi-... ...more

Member Since

February 2019

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/anithadevipillai

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Anitha Devi Pillai (Ph.D) is a Singaporean author, translator, poet, and academic of Malayalee heritage whose work explores memory, food, language, intimacy, inheritance, and the lives of women in Singapore.

She is the author and editor of eleven books, including 'What the Tongue Remembers', published by Penguin Random House SEA. Her English translation of Kamaladevi Aravindan’s Tamil novel Sembawang was shortlisted for the Singapore History Prize and the Best Literary Work Prize, and her short story “Lost in Translation” was longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2025.

She teaches creative writing and applied linguistics at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. ...more

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Anitha Devi Pillai’s books

Average rating: 4.04 · 182 ratings · 81 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	Sembawang: A Novel by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author) (Translator), Kamaladevi Aravindan 4.16 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author), Puva Arumugam 4.87 avg rating — 23 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	UNSAID: An Asian Anthology by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Saras Manickam (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Cherrie Sing (writer) 3.74 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Tapestry of Colours 1: Stories from Asia by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author) (Editor), babitha marina justin (Contributor), Raymund P Reyes (Contributor) 4.25 avg rating — 12 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Tapestry of Colours 2: Stories from Asia by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author), Clara Mok (Contributor), Carol Pang (Contributor) 4.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A View of Stars: Stories of love by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Felix Cheong (Editor), Joyce Teo (Contributor) 3.22 avg rating — 9 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Estate to Embassy: Memories of an Ambassador 3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Story of Onam 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What the Tongue Remembers it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best Asian Short Stories 2023 by Anitha Devi Pillai (Goodreads Author) (editor), Preeta Samarasan (Goodreads Author), Anjana Menon (Goodreads Author) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2023	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Anitha Devi Pillai liked Nexa Shibu's review of What the Tongue Remembers: "This is an UNSETTLING read, and I loved it! I stayed up for the rest of the night, unable to sleep. The stories stay in your mind because they are something that could possibly happen to us. It does not feel fictional, it feels REAL. It sounds like s" Read more of this review »
Jul 01, 2026 07:01PM · see review
Anitha Devi Pillai liked Nandini Sivakumar's review of What the Tongue Remembers: "A compilation of beautifully crafted short stories that brings warmth to the heart when read. The stories revolve around love, relationships, food, and culture. The author has exceptional writing skills that enable the characters and emotions of the " Read more of this review »
Jul 01, 2026 07:01PM · see review
Anitha Devi Pillai liked Murali's review of What the Tongue Remembers: "Unexpected turn of events in the stories. It is an unusual way of a study of the human psyche. It is quite a dark set of stories. As a male reader, I found this collection of short stories with female protagonists rather a compelling collection of sho" Read more of this review »
Jul 01, 2026 07:01PM · see review
Anitha Devi Pillai rated a book it was amazing The Number Four by Rueben Dass	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Anitha Devi Pillai rated a book it was amazing Skin by Rueben Dass	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 01, 2026 06:57PM · like
Anitha Devi Pillai has read Skin by Rueben Dass	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 01, 2026 06:56PM · like
Anitha Devi Pillai is now following Rueben Dass Author of Skin
Apr 06, 2026 01:49AM · like
Anitha Devi Pillai is now following Suzanne Kamata Author of The Mermaids of Lake Michigan
Apr 06, 2026 01:05AM · like