Raising the profile of South Asian writers since 2007
Brace yourselves, 2020 sees Asian authors returning to what they know and love: literary fiction. I don’t remember a time quite like it. Reminiscent of my mother’s Eid dinners, 2020 promises us abundance, from poetry collections to short stories, crime to children’s fiction. The year has already gifted us with some literary gems but there’s …
With falling author earnings it is common for writers to supplement their income with teaching or part time work. But the portfolio career or ‘slashie’ – juggling two or three entirely different careers at the same time – is a new way of working and it’s on the rise. Crime writer Vaseem Khan tells us …
Meena Kandasamy’s latest novel, Exquisite Cadavers began as a response to her second novel, When I Hit You. It follows the story of a young married couple as they navigate life and love in London and is an experimental project where Kandasamy attempts to write a story as far removed from her own as possible. …
In her breath-taking new novel, Exquisite Cadavers Meena Kandasamy raises the curtain and invites the reader into what is often seen as a mysterious process. Sitting neatly in the margins Kandasamy dissects her creative process revealing how her ideas are worked into fiction. I begin by asking Kandasamy whether writing Exquisite Cadavers made her feel …
Indian writers once again dominate the shortlist for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019, which was announced earlier this month (November 6 2019). Now in its ninth year, the DSC Prize is one of the most prestigious international literary awards specifically focused on South Asian fiction writing, and celebrates the very best writing …
The full report into Authors Earnings published last month highlights that conditions for working writers is deteriorating. The study, commissioned by ALCS, and carried out by CREATe found that author earnings are in sharp decline. Earnings fell by 42% in real terms since 2005 with the average author now making just under £10,500. A small …
In my debut novel The Trouble with Rose, Rilla Kumar ditches her fiancé Simon Langton at the altar to ask her Great Indian Family the very important question: what happened to her missing sister Rose. The story follows Rilla in her search for her sister, but is peppered liberally with her noisy, interfering family, her …
When did you know you had a story in you that you wanted to share? Many years ago, when my baby boy became ill, and the word SCID entered my life, I thought, one day, I would write about it to increase awareness about this rare and fatal condition. I was however conscious that I …
Curve, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse are joining forces to co-produce a new stage production of Hanif Kureishi’s screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette. This bold new production of Hanif Kureishi‘s ground-breaking 1985 Oscar-nominated film of the same name will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual and Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw, both at …
Talented Asian writers have been shortlisted in this year’s Saboteur Awards. Short story writer, Susmita Bhattacharya has been shortlisted in the ‘Best Short Story Collection’ for her debut, Table Manners while London-based collective, The Whole Kahani – which includes writers Mona Dash and CG Menon, have been shortlisted for ‘Best Anthology’ for their second collection, …