Gopini Karunakar is a Telugu short-story writer and novelist from Pileru village in Chittoor district, now based in Hyderabad. He also works as an Associate Director in Telugu cinema.

His writing draws deeply from the oral storytelling tradition of his blind grandmother and the dream-filled nights of rural childhood. Marked by quiet emotional depth, lyrical observation of ordinary lives, and a seamless movement between poetry and fiction, his stories have been translated into English and Hindi. He has received national awards twice and the 2012 Katha Kokila Award for Bharatam Bommalu – Marikonni Kathalu.

Major works include the poetry collection Poddunne Vachchina Vaana, story collections Deepam Cheppina Kathalu and Maa Tirupati Konda Kathalu, and the novels Sri Balaji Talkies Prema Prabandham and Parijatapaharanam.