Writers

Salman Rushdie being honoured with Dayton Peace Prize lifetime award

Salman Rushdie was among the honourees Sunday at the Dayton Literary Peace Prize event in Ohio, receiving a lifetime achievement award after publishing his first work of fiction since being stabbed on a New York lecture stage three years ago. The prizes honour both literary merit and the writers' promotion of peace through their work, with separate awards annually for fiction, nonfiction and lifetime achievement. The Ohio city was the site of negotiations that led to the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995, ending a war in the Balkans marked by ethnic cleansing that killed more than 300,000 people, as well as the displacement of 1 million residents. The 78-year-old Rushdie is best known for his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, which prompted allegations of blasphemy and a 1989 call from Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for the Indian-born writer's death, driving him into hiding. He was blinded in one eye from the 2022 attack before a stunned audience, and his assailant who wasn't born w

On the Brink of Belief: A book on gender, religion, and the margins

A new anthology brings together 24 queer and trans writers from South Asia exploring faith, identity, and belonging under the editorship of poet Kazim Ali

Cinepolis bets on blockbusters to drive double-digit India revenue growth

Western studios are counting on this summer to reverse a downtrend worsened by the 2023 Hollywood writers' strike

Padma Shri awarded to travel writer Hugh Gantzer at Mussoorie home

Renowned travel writer Hugh Gantzer was presented the Padma Shri at his residence in Mussoorie on Saturday, officials said. He shares the honour with his late wife and co-author Collen Gantzer. Senior IAS officer Shailesh Baghauli presented the award to the writer at his residence as he could not go to Delhi to receive the honour due to poor health. Active in travel writing since the 1950s, the couple presented India's cultural diversity, historical sites and public life in a unique way. "The Gantzer's Travelogue" column and their travelogues broadcast on Doordarshan introduced readers and viewers across the country to the beauty and depth of India, an official statement said. Hugh's sharp journalistic vision and Colleen's soft expression style together gave a new height to Indian travel literature. Their writings not only inspired people to discover their country but also put the soul of India into words, it said.

Who is Banu Mushtaq, first Kannada author to win International Booker?

Banu Mushtaq becomes the first Kannada author to win the International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp, sharing the honour with translator Deepa Bhasthi

Sumana Roy's book traces Bengal writers' empathy with plants, objects

Phloem plays a similar role for Plant Thinkers of Twentieth-Century Bengal

Much harder for serious writers to survive now: Irish author Paul Lynch

My writing is designed to reflect human experience in all its richness and complexity, says Lynch

Trial begins of man accused for attempting to kill Salman Rushdie

Lawyers are scheduled to deliver opening statements Monday at the trial of the man charged with trying to fatally stab author Salman Rushdie in front of a lecture audience in western New York. Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker for the first time in more than two years. Rushdie, who wrote Midnight's Children and Victory City, had been about to speak about keeping writers safe from harm in August 2022 when Matar ran toward him on the stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater. Matar stabbed Rushdie more than a dozen times in the neck, stomach, chest, hand and right eye, leaving him partially blind and with permanent damage to one hand. The India-born British-American author detailed the attack and his long, painful recovery in a memoir, Knife: Meditations After and Attempted Murder, released last year. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, is charged with attempted murder and assa

Salman Rushdie to testify against man charged for stabbing him in 2022

In 2022, Salman Rushdie was about to deliver a lecture before a live audience in western New York when a man ran towards him and plunged a knife into the author's hand as he raised it in self-defence. After that there are many blows, to my neck, to my chest, to my eye, everywhere, Rushdie recalled in a memoir that followed. I feel my legs give way, and I fall. In the coming weeks, Rushdie is expected to return to the same New York county to recount the experience as one of the first witnesses in the trial of the man charged with wielding the knife that day, Hadi Matar. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. Under different circumstances, Rushdie's book, which details his account of that day and his recovery, might offer important evidence in the Aug. 12, 2022, attack that left the 77-year-old blind in his right eye and his hand permanently damaged. But this isn't a back al

Legendary Malayalam writer, 'Jnanpith' awardee MT Vasudevan Nair dies at 91

Noted writer and Jnanpith award winner M T Vasudevan Nair, who had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital here following heart failure, has passed away, hospital sources said on Wednesday. He was 91. "MT has died," a hospital source told PTI without elaborating. The office of Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed receiving the information about MT's demise. He had been under the care of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including cardiologists and critical care experts, since his hospitalisation last week.

India's many voices: Conversations on culture, democracy, and dissent

Can writers, artists, or citizens exist in a political vacuum? This collection of conversations by Githa Hariharan delves into culture, democracy, and dissent

Jurors in trial of Rushdie's attacker likely won't hear about his motive

Jurors picked for the trial of a man who severely injured author Salman Rushdie in a knife attack likely won't hear about the fatwa that authorities have said motivated him to act, a prosecutor said Friday. We're not going there, District Attorney Jason Schmidt said during a conference in preparation for the Oct. 15 start of Hadi Matar's trial in Chautauqua County Court. Schmidt said raising a motive was unnecessary, given that the attack was witnessed and recorded by a live audience who had gathered to hear Rushdie speak. Potential jurors will nevertheless face questions meant to root out implicit bias because Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, is the son of Lebanese immigrants and practices Islam, Judge David Foley said. He said it would be foolish to assume potential jurors had not heard about the fatwa through media coverage of the case. Matar, 26, is charged with attempted murder for stabbing Rushdie, 77, more than a dozen times, blinding him in one eye, as he took the stage at a

Arundhati Roy awarded UK's Pen Pinter Prize for her 'unflinching' writings

Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, currently facing the threat of prosecution over historic comments on Kashmir 14 years ago, was on Thursday honoured with the prestigious Pen Pinter Prize 2024 for her unflinching and unswerving writings. The prize, established in 2009 by the charity English PEN, defends freedom of expression and celebrates literature in memory of Nobel-Laureate playwright Harold Pinter. Roy expressed her delight at being named this year's winner amid an incomprehensible turn the world is taking. I am delighted to accept the PEN Pinter prize. I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn't, some of us must do our utmost to try to fill his shoes, said 62-year-old Roy. The renowned author, who won the Booker Prize for her debut novel The God of Small Things', was chosen by this year's judges Chair of English PEN Ruth Borthwick; actor and activist Khalid Abdalla; and writer and musici

Ghosts who act: Rise of creepy, but lucrative digital afterlife industry

It may soon be possible to have digital replicas of Madhubala and Dilip Kumar star in a 2025 movie. This may be creepy, but also lucrative

Sahitya Akademi Awards 2023: Neelum Saran Gaur, Sanjeev among 24 recipients

Twenty four writers, including English author Neelum Saran Gaur and Hindi novelist Sanjeev, received the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2023 here on Tuesday. The award ceremony coincided with the 70th anniversary celebrations of the National Academy of Letters at the 'Sahityotsav'. The awards were given for literary works including nine books of poetry, six novels, five of short stories, three essays and one literary study. Sanjeev for his novel "Mujhe Pehchaano" and Gaur for her book "Requiem in Raga Janki" received the prestigious award. Sadiqua Nawab Saher received the award for her book "Rajdev Ki Amrai" in Urdu, while Swarnjit Savi was awarded for his book of poetry "Mann Di Chip" in Punjabi. Other recipients of the awards in poetry include Vijay Verma (Dogri), Vinod Joshi (Gujarati), Manshoor Banihali (Kashmiri), Sorokkhaibam Gambhini (Manipuri), Ashutosh Parida (Odia), Gaje Singh Rajpurohit (Rajasthani), Arun Ranjan Mishra (Sanskrit) and Vinod Asudani (Sindhi). Apart from Gaur,

Renowned litterateur and Padma Shri awardee Usha Kiran Khan dies in Patna

Renowned litterateur and Padma Shri awardee Usha Kiran Khan passed away at a private hospital after a brief illness here on Sunday. She was 78. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his condolences over Khan's demise, praising her as a prolific writer who contributed significantly to Hindi and Maithili literature. "She was a great writer who wrote several novels in Hindi and Maithili. Khan, a recipient of Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi awards, will always be remembered for her works," the CM said in his condolence message. "Her demises has created a void in our lives that can never be filled. It's an irreparable loss to the Hindi and Maithili literature. My heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones during this difficult time. May her soul rest in eternal peace", Kumar said. Khan's literary contributions earned her widespread recognition, including prestigious honours such as the Padma Shri in 2015, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Mahadevi Verma Award, the Dinakar ...

Sale of e-books not rising, even shrinking in some countries: Damon Galgut

Jaipur Literature Festival 2024: In a conversation with Business Standard, Galgut said currently non-fiction is thriving, and fiction is more under stress

Salman Rushdie gets 'Lifetime Disturbing the Peace Award' in New York

The recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade got another surprise honour - this time for 'disturbing the peace' by the Vaclav Havel Center at an event in New York

Suspect in attack on Salman Rushdie scheduled for trial in January 2024

The accused, Hadi Matar is expected to stand trial on January 8, according to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt

Late-night shows return as actors resume talks to end standoff of writers'

Late-night talk shows are returning after a five-month absence brought on by the Hollywood writers strike, while actors will begin talks that could end their own long work walk-off. CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! and NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon were the first shows to leave the air when the writers strike began on May 2, and now will be among the first to return on Monday night. Comedian John Oliver got his first take on the strike out, exuberantly returning Sunday night to his Last Week Tonight show on HBO and delivering full-throated support for the strike. Oliver cheerily delivered a recap of stories from the last five months before turnings serious, calling the strike an immensely difficult time for all those in the industry. To be clear, this strike happened for good reasons. Our industry has seen its workers severely squeezed in recent years, Oliver said. So, the writers guild went to strike and thankfully won. But, it took