Murugan is the author of ten novels, and five collections each of short stories and poems, as well as ten books of non-fiction relating to language and literature, in addition to editing several  fiction and non-fiction anthologies.
Several of his novels have been translated into English, including Seasons of the Palm and Current Show.
He has also written a memoir,  Nizhal Mutrattu Ninaivugal (2013).

Murugan began his writing career by publishing several short stories in the Tamil journal, Manavosai between 1988 and 1991.
These stories were later collected and published in a book titled Thiruchengodu (1994).
His first novel, Eru Veyyil ('Rising Heat') was published in 1991, and dealt with the problems that a family faced when their land was acquired for the construction of a housing colony, engaging with themes of family, greed, and corruption.
His second novel, Nizhal Mutram (1993), translated into English by V Geetha as Current Show (Tara Books, 2004), drew from his personal experience of helping his father run a soda stall in a cinema theatre.

Murugan's third novel, described by the translator and critic N. Kalyan Raman as a 'tour de force' was titled  Koolamadari (2000), and was translated by V Geetha as Seasons of the Palm (Tara Books, 2004).
The book dealt with the life and travails of its protagonist, Koolaiyan, a young goatherd of the Chakkili caste, who was bonded to work in a Gounder caste family to repay his father's debts.
The book dealt with themes of childhood, autonomy, and freedom.

His next novel, Kanganam (Resolve, 2008) dealt with the consequences of sex-selective abortions and female foeticide that caused a skewed sex ratio in the Kongunadu region.
It focuses on the protagonist, Marimuthu, unmarried because of the scarcity of women within his caste and society.
His novel, Madhurobhagan (2010) translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as One Part Woman (Penguin, 2013) dealt with a young childless couple struggling within their marriage, drawing specifically from the community and culture of the Kongunadu region.

One Part Woman is a novel based on a possible ancient cultural practice among people living around Tiruchengode, written by Perumal Murugan.
According to historian Romila Thapar, it is the story of a childless couple with a strong desire of having a child, "depicted with admirable sensitivity, anguish and gentleness".
Published by Penguin Books, the novel was originally written in Tamil under the name Madhorubagan and then later translated in English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as One Part Woman.
Aniruddhan Vasudevan was awarded  Sahitya Akademi Translation Award (2016) for this book.
The book was also included in the longlist for the 2018 National Book Award in the "Translated Literature" category.

His latest novel, Poonachi (The Story Of A Black Goat, 2017)  deals with the life of a special female goat in the Kongunadu region, focusing on the tragic life of the goat in the hands of a poor old couple.
Recently, his novel Pookkuzhi (Pyre) has been translated to English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, as well.

In 2017, an anthology of Perumal Murugan's poems, Mayanathil Nitkum Maram (A Tree that Stands in the Crematorium) was published, containing his four previous collections of poetry: Nigazh Uravu, Gomuki Nadhikarai Koozhaangal, Neer Midakkum Kanngal and Velli Shani Bhudhan Nyayaru Vzhyayan Chevvai.

In June 2018, Murugan announced that he was working on a new novel, which examined middle class families and their relationship with new technology.
This novel, titled Kazhimugam (Estuary) was translated by Nandini Krishnan to English and published in 2020.
Murugan is the author of ten novels, and five collections each of short stories and poems, as well as ten books of non-fiction relating to language and literature, in addition to editing several  fiction and non-fiction anthologies. Several of his novels have been translated into English, including Seasons of the Palm and Current Show. He has also written a memoir,  Nizhal Mutrattu Ninaivugal (2013).
Murugan began his writing career by publishing several short stories in the Tamil journal, Manavosai between 1988 and 1991. These stories were later collected and published in a book titled Thiruchengodu (1994). His first novel, Eru Veyyil ('Rising Heat') was published in 1991, and dealt with the problems that a family faced when their land was acquired for the construction of a housing colony, engaging with themes of family, greed, and corruption. His second novel, Nizhal Mutram (1993), translated into English by V Geetha as Current Show (Tara Books, 2004), drew from his personal experience of helping his father run a soda stall in a cinema theatre.
Murugan's third novel, described by the translator and critic N. Kalyan Raman as a 'tour de force' was titled  Koolamadari (2000), and was translated by V Geetha as Seasons of the Palm (Tara Books, 2004). The book dealt with the life and travails of its protagonist, Koolaiyan, a young goatherd of the Chakkili caste, who was bonded to work in a Gounder caste family to repay his father's debts. The book dealt with themes of childhood, autonomy, and freedom.
His next novel, Kanganam (Resolve, 2008) dealt with the consequences of sex-selective abortions and female foeticide that caused a skewed sex ratio in the Kongunadu region. It focuses on the protagonist, Marimuthu, unmarried because of the scarcity of women within his caste and society. His novel, Madhurobhagan (2010) translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as One Part Woman (Penguin, 2013) dealt with a young childless couple struggling within their marriage, drawing specifically from the community and culture of the Kongunadu region.
One Part Woman is a novel based on a possible ancient cultural practice among people living around Tiruchengode, written by Perumal Murugan. According to historian Romila Thapar, it is the story of a childless couple with a strong desire of having a child, "depicted with admirable sensitivity, anguish and gentleness". Published by Penguin Books, the novel was originally written in Tamil under the name Madhorubagan and then later translated in English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as One Part Woman. Aniruddhan Vasudevan was awarded  Sahitya Akademi Translation Award (2016) for this book. The book was also included in the longlist for the 2018 National Book Award in the "Translated Literature" category.
His latest novel, Poonachi (The Story Of A Black Goat, 2017)  deals with the life of a special female goat in the Kongunadu region, focusing on the tragic life of the goat in the hands of a poor old couple. Recently, his novel Pookkuzhi (Pyre) has been translated to English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, as well.
In 2017, an anthology of Perumal Murugan's poems, Mayanathil Nitkum Maram (A Tree that Stands in the Crematorium) was published, containing his four previous collections of poetry: Nigazh Uravu, Gomuki Nadhikarai Koozhaangal, Neer Midakkum Kanngal and Velli Shani Bhudhan Nyayaru Vzhyayan Chevvai.
In June 2018, Murugan announced that he was working on a new novel, which examined middle class families and their relationship with new technology. This novel, titled Kazhimugam (Estuary) was translated by Nandini Krishnan to English and published in 2020.
Perumal Murugan