शैलेश मटियानी | Ramesh Singh Matiyani 'Shailesh', popularly known as Shailesh Matiyani (14 October 1931 – 24 April 2001), was a Hindi writer, poet, essayist from Uttarakhand, India.
He became most known for his short stories, depicting the struggles and the fighting spirit of the Indian lower and lower-middle class, which he embodied himself and expressed through his writings all through his life, and which gave him the title – People's Writer or 'Jankathakar'. And as, Hindi Littérateur, Pankaj Bisht puts it, "how intimate was his depiction of the displaced people from the villages in the urban slums, and those compelled to live and die on footpaths. You won't find this kind of intimacy in any other language. Matiyani's protagonists are beggars, pick-pockets, lumpens, drop-outs, marginalised characters. Fatedness – the lopsided policies of progress – they were its victims; and yet, their inner life was so full of humanism and faith.". Today, many writers view his work, second to none other than Premchand himself, though some like Giriraj Kishore, even consider his story writing, beyond of him as well.
He wrote over 30 novels, including Ramkali and Suryaasth Kosi, over 17 collection of stories including his most popular stories Maimood, Yada Kada and Ardhangini, 28 collection of stories, seven collection of folk tales, apart from writing numerous essays and over 16 books for children.
In 1994, he was awarded an honorary degree of D.Litt. by Kumaun University, Nainital.