Ashokamitran (22 September 1931 – 23 March 2017) was the pen name of Jagadisa Thyagarajan, an Indian writer regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-independent Tamil literature.

He began his prolific literary career with the prize-winning play "Anbin Parisu" and went on to author more than two hundred short stories, and a dozen novellas and novels.

Most of his works have also been translated into English and other Indian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, and Telugu.

[3] His experiences here and his interaction with people from the Tamil filmdom later took the form of his book "My Years with Boss".

His novel Karainta nizhalkal (Star-Crossed), for instance, drew from his experiences working in public relations in the film industry at Gemini Studios.

Today, with over 200 short stories, nine novels, and several non-fiction essays and translations, Ashokamitran is seen as a major contributor to the modern history of Tamil literature.

Ashokamitran's life and work have been the subject of three documentary films, made by Amshan Kumar, Kandasamy, and Gnani.