He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2013 in the Tamil language category for his novel Korkai.

[3] Joe D'Cruz was born in a Roman Catholic Paravar family in Uvari, a coastal village in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu.

[7] The first novel Aazhi Soozh Ulagu dealt with the lives of fishermen who used catamarans and their conversion to Christianity.

He opposed Kudankulam nuclear power project, arguing it will affect the livelihood of the fishermen.

[9][10] He has also expressed his reservations on the upcoming International Container Transhipment Terminal at Enayam, Kanyakumari District.

[18][19] In an interview with The Hindu, he claimed to have realised that because Modi rose up through the grassroot levels, it was a myth that he would become a strong Prime Minister, and that the BJP leadership appears to be focused in reinforcing the caste structure and Manu Smriti.