Unudurti Sudhakar (1954) is from Visakhapatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh on the East Coast of India. His career as a marine engineer in the merchant navy led to an abiding allure for maritime history. Anthologies of his short stories, ‘Toorupu Galulu’ (2018) and ‘Chalicheemala Kavaatu,’(2021) received accolades from readers and recognition from critics. He co-authored a book called ‘Tathaagatuni Adugujaadalu’ (2019) on historical Buddhist sites in and around Visakhapatnam. His two novels, ‘Yarada Konda’ and ‘Chedarina Paadamudralu’ were awarded prizes by the American Telugu Association (ATA) in 2020 and 2024. Known for his ability to deftly combine historical elements with evocative fiction, he is recognised today as one of the leading writers of historical fiction in Telugu.