The Grand Trunk Road launched this week. The Grand Trunk Road is the oldest, longest, and most famous highway in southern Asia. The book explores the roads history, showing why it was so crucial to the process of migration to Britain and how the close links between Britain and places along it continue to this …
The Sufi’s Garland
A new book of poetry is published this month to mark the 150th birth-anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, India’s first Nobel Laureate. The Sufi’s Garland is a Fakir’s weave of words in poetry. The stony hills of Afghanistan forms the backdrop of this sweet soulful music where the reader becomes a sojourner in a caravan, and …
Man Asian Literary Prize Shortlist 2010
A fantastic video link between Hong Kong and London, announcing this year’s Man Asian Literary Prize Shortlist. Keep watching to hear more from Monica Ali on what she thinks makes exceptional fiction.
Sita Brahmachari wins Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize
Debut author Sita Brahmachari has won one of the most valuable and prestigious children’s book awards in the country for her striking coming-of-age novel about life, death, friendship and love. Artichoke Hearts was announced as the winner of the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2011 by Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne at an evening ceremony at Waterstone’s …
Commonwealth Writers Prize – Regional Shortlist
Anjali Joseph’s Saraswati Park and Manu Joseph’s Serious Men have been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Best First Book Prize for the South Asia and Europe Region. Leila Abouleila”s Lyrics Alley has made the shortlist in the Best Book category. (February 11, 2011) The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, internationally recognised for its role in celebrating ground-breaking …
A Writer Lost and Found
by Lynn Mitchell When I first set up Linen Press, I was a newcomer to publishing and, without an established reputation, relied on unsolicited submissions for possible publications. At first, those that came in were disappointing; I had a feeling I was the last port of call for novels that had been to every other …
HM Naqvi wins the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
HM Naqvi, author of Homeboy has become the first author to win the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (January 23, 2011). The coming of age novel about three Pakistani friends living in New York City pre and post 9/11 was one of the favourites to take the £32,000 ($50,000) prize. Though little has been …
Witness the Night wins Costa First Novel Award
Kishwar Desai wins the First Novel Award for Witness the Night, which explores India’s hidden female infanticide and the first book of a series featuring the unconventional female protagonist, Simran Singh (January 4, 2011) The story takes place in a small town in the heart of India. A young girl, barely alive, is found in …
The DSC South Asian Literature Survey
A survey conducted by the DSC South Asian Literature Festival, in association with The Bookseller suggests that the industry is failing South Asian readers. A small proportion of just 2% of South Asian respondents stated there were sufficient books in the South Asian category suggesting that there needs to be a diverse range of books …
Costa Awards First Book Award 2010
Asian authors dominate this year’s Costa First Book Award (November 16, 2010). Nikesh Shukla’s Coconut Unlimited, Kishwar Desai’s Witness of the Night and Aatish Taseer’s The Temple Goers join Simon Thirsk’s Not Quite White in the First Book Award Shortlist 2010. The Costa Book Awards recognise the most enjoyable books in five categories – First …