Ummid Assistant

'Pay Zakat ul Fitr to mend mistakes while fasting'

IGNOU trains teachers to develop online courses

Welcome Guest! You are here: Home » Life & Style

16 authors in contention for Asian literature prize

Wednesday September 14, 2011 07:20:27 PM, IANS

New Delhi: Sixteen authors, including Atiq Rahimi, Kishwar Desai and Manu Joseph, are in the race for the DSC Prize for the South Asian Literature 2012, which seeks to showcase the diverse ethnicity, culture and human stories from the region.

The long-list, which was unveiled in the capital Wednesday, comprises original works of fiction in English and those translated from other languages that are set in south Asia and feature a south Asian cast.

The prize carries a purse of $50,000 (Rs.23.8 lakh).

The shortlist will be announced Oct 24 in London and the winner will be announced January 2012.

"We selected the long-list from a list of 52 books. And we were given barely three months to plod through the books. Each member of the jury of five recommended three favourites. We read almost round-the-clock," author Ira Pande, chairperson of the jury, said.

According to Manhad Narula of the prize sponsor DSC Limited, the jury comprises scholars from US, Britain and South Asia.

It has on board former Booker Prize jury member and Commonwealth and post-colonial literary scholar Alastair Niven, Pakistan-based writer, columnist and literary agent Faiza S. Khan, and professor of English at Dhaka University Fakrul Alam, among others.

"What is striking is that the submissions had a very good mix of rural and urban life -- a characteristic which distinguishes South Asia from other regions," Pande told IANS.

"It also had very good mix of genres with translations, a classical novel and even two detective fictions. Translations are very important to the growth of South Asia literature because it increases our visual and literary vocabulary," she added.

The books vying for the prize include "Jimmy, the Terrorist" by Omair Ahmed, "Bharatipura" by U.R. Ananthamurthy (translated from Malayalam), "A Street in Srinagar" by Chandrakanta (translated from Hindi), "Day Scholar" by Siddhartha Chowdhury and "Witness the Night" by Kishwar Desai.

Also under consideration are "Aftertaste" by Namita Devidayal, "One Amazing Thing" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, "Serious Men" by Manu Joseph, "Monkey Man" by Usha K.R., "Chinaman" by Shehan Karunatilaka, "The Thing About Thugs" by Tabish Khair, "The Story that Must Not be Told" by Kavery Nambisan, "The Patience Stone" by Atiq Rahimi (translated from Pushtu), "The Quarantine Papers" by Kalpish Ratna and "Buddha's Orphan" by Samrat Upadhyay.

 

 


 



 

 

 

 

Bookmark and Share

Home | Top of the Page

 

Comments

Note: By posting your comments here you agree to the terms and conditions of www.ummid.com

Comments powered by DISQUS

 

 

 

Top Stories

Punish those guilty of misleading probes: Jamia Teachers' body

In a strongly worded letter released to the media, Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association (JTSA) termed the framing of Muslim youths in the 2006 Malegaon blast case as "deliberately  »

NIA admits error in probe; Declares Malegaon youths innocent

Agonized families, resolute protesters and barefaced government

ATS haste that brought hell to an entire family

 

  Most Read

Seven killed, 85 injured in Tamil Nadu train accident

At least seven people were killed and 85 injured as a EMU train rammed a stationary passenger train near Arakkonam junction in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district Tuesday night, officials said,  »

With 86 pending bills, citizens cry foul over unruly MPs in parliament

People are sick and tired of MPs for causing frequent disruptions of parliament and point out that they take salaries for work not done. The little over month-long monsoon session that just ended saw unceasing bedlam in both the houses over a variety of issues, ranging from the frivolous to the Anna  »

 

  News Pick

Muslim women creating new artscape

Using icons of Islam, a small group of Muslim women is creating a genre of art that seeks to address contemporary socio-political issues and concerns related to empowerment of women. "They are innovating on elements  »

Armaan first Indian to secure a slot at Indy Lights

Armaan Ebrahim has become the first Indian to secure a place in the coveted Indy Lights motor racing series following a successful test session with the Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) team at the Putnam Park Road Course   »

Eminent Muslim jurists to study different versions of Lokpal bill

The Delhi-based Institute of Objective Studies, (IOS), has formed a panel of five eminent jurists to study the provisions of different Lokpal bills, including the Jan Lokpal Bill, and suggest improvements,   »

 

Picture of the Day

The 27th of Ramadan (August 26, 2011 this year), "Laylet al-Qadr" (Night of Power), is one of the holiest nights of the Islamic calendar, the night when the Quran began to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Millions from around the world visit the Grand Mosque in Makkah from all over the world and pray over the night.

 

 
 
 
 
 

RSS  |  Contact us

 

| Quick links

News

 

Subscribe to

Ummid Assistant

 

National

Religion

RSS

Scholarships

About us

International

Culture

Twitter

Government Schemes

Feedback

Regional

History

Facebook

Education

Register

Politics

Opinion

Newsletter

Contact us

Business

Career

     

Education

     

 

 

Ummid.com: Disclaimer | Terms of Use | Advertise with us | Link Exchange

Ummid.com is part of the Awaz Multimedia & Publications providing World News, News Analysis and Feature Articles on Education, Health. Politics, Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Industry etc. The articles or the views displayed on this website are for public information and in no way describe the editorial views. The users are entitled to use this site subject to the terms and conditions mentioned.

© 2010 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.