Raising the profile of South Asian writers since 2007
Tomb of Sand, written by Geetanjali Shree and translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell, was announced as the winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize last week (26 May). Tomb of Sand is the first book in any Indian language to win the prize, and the first novel translated from Hindi to be recognised by …
A new literary scheme Space To Write is looking to support writers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who want to write or are already writing commercial fiction. Launched with Orion Publishing, Metro.co.uk and The Arvon Foundation, the project is inspired by Queenie author Candice Carty-Williams’ journey to success. The Project aims to give prospective authors the access, time and space …
Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree is one of six books in contention for this year’s International Booker Prize. It is the first Hindi novel to be shortlisted for the prize in its seventeen year history. Translated by Daisy Rockwell from Hindi and published by Titled Axis Press the novel was originally published as Ret …
Asma Khan’s latest cookery book, Ammu is a delightful collection of childhood recipes that celebrates the power of home cooking and the inextricable link between food and love. Published by Ebury, the book features more than 100 recipes alongside a wonderful memoir which captures Khan’s childhood and the woman who taught her how to cook, …
The characters in your short story collection Mrs Pinto Drives to Happiness come from widely ranging backgrounds and ethnicities. Was it difficult to make this leap of imagination or do you engage in research? The characters in Mrs Pinto Drives to Happiness reflect the world we live in- in all its fractured yet glorious technicolour …
Why did you enter the Creative Future Writers’ Awards? I have been on a strange journey with writing and life up until this moment… After ten years of working on a novel, I decided I needed to start sending my work out… I didn’t know any writer people, and wasn’t part of a writer group, …
The Mismatch by Sara Jafari is relatable, honest and romantic. One family, two women and a secret that threatens to ruin them both. Don’t be deceived by the premise, Jafari’s debut delivers much more than simple romance. Soraya is a twenty-one-year-old graduate trying to navigate between her conservative Iranian upbringing and the western freedoms she …
Every year we host students from the University of Leicester for a 10-week placement. The scheme run by the university provides students with an opportunity to gain work experience in a small press to enhance their learning. Students often work remotely and are supported by editor Farhana Shaikh to pursue a personal project – something …
In the kitchen, Maya and the three under-chefs were busy with the night’s dinner. The smell of fried onions, garlic and ginger filled the air, and the sounds of sizzling and percussive tin lids created a hypnotic rhythm as heaps of aromatic spices were tossed into the pots – orange turmeric, yellow heeng, red chilli …
26th March 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh war, struggle and subsequent Independence. East London is home to a vibrant and dynamic British Bengali community who, with strong cultural and familial ties, were deeply impacted by these events. Against a backdrop of 1970s East End revolutionary spirit, many local people were vocal and active …