Bengalur: Kannada Sahitya Parishat has chosen Mysuru-based novelist and Saraswati Samman awardee Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa for the prestigious Nrupatunga Award-2017.

The award has been instituted by BMTC after the 8th century poet Nrupatunga, who wrote Kavirajamarga, the earliest available work on rhetoric, poetics and grammar in Kannada.

A jury headed by Parishat State President Dr. Manu Baligar selected Dr. Bhyrappa for the award, which carries a purse of Rs. 7 lakh and a citation.

Padma Shri Dr. Bhyrappa has been the best-selling novelist in Kannada for over five decades and his works have been translated into various Indian languages. His novels Gruhabhanga and Daatu have been translated into 14 major languages of India.

A recipient of Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, Sahitya Akademi, Nadoja and Pampa awards, he chaired the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Kanakapura in 1990.