L. S. Sheshagiri Rao

{{Short description|Indian writer and academic (1925–2019)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

Lakshmeshwar Swamy Rao Sheshagiri Rao (16 February 1925 – 20 December 2019), often referred to as LSS, was an Indian writer and academic specializing in Kannada literature. He wrote an English-Kannada dictionary that is a standard reference text for students. Rao worked for government colleges before gaining a position at Bangalore University's English department. He was the first president of the Kannada Book Trust.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/interview-with-professor-ls-seshagiri-rao/article6912931.ece|title=A fruitful innings|last=Shivashankar|first=Praveen|date=19 February 2015|work=The Hindu|access-date=3 October 2018|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}

Rao won the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for his work English Sahitya Charitre. Rao was elected president of the 74th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. Rao has also won the Rajyotsava Award, Masti Award, and the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award for his work.

He died on 20 December 2019 in Bengaluru, aged 94.{{cite news |title=Writer and critic LS Sheshagiri Rao no more |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/writer-and-critic-ls-sheshagiri-rao-no-more/article30357741.ece |accessdate=20 December 2019 |work=The Hindu |date=20 December 2019}}