Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize releases shortlist

The Shakti Bhatt foundation has announced the shortlist for the 10th Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize which includes six authors.

The list includes Prayaag Akbar for "Leila" (Simon & Schuster), Hirsh Sawhney for "South Haven" (HarperCollins), Anuk Arudpragasam for "The Story of a Brief Marriage" (HarperCollins), Sumana Roy for "How I Became a Tree" (Aleph Book Company), Tripti Lahiri for "Maid In India" (Aleph Book Company) and Tejaswini Apte-Rahm.

This year, the committee received 47 titles out of which six were shortlisted by author and translator Arshia Sattar and poet and novelist Jeet Thayil.

"It has been a pleasure to acknowledge the wealth and diversity of South Asian writing in this last decade and a privilege to spotlight new writing. This year's shortlist of books and writers continues our commitment to finely-crafted writing and sophisticated thinking," Sattar said in a statement.

"Together, this year's books remind us that in an increasingly brutal and fragmented world, families, communities and societies no longer provide safety nets, that individuals often feel stranded on the brink of an abyss and yet, it is through literature that we can search for each other, it is in writing that we can create meaning as a bulwark against the tides of untruth that thunder on our shores," she added.

The winner of the 2017 edition will be announced in November by judges Kamila Shamsie, Rohini Mohan and Margaret Mascarenhas.

Last year, the award was given to Akshaya Mukul for his book "Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India".

--IANS

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