New Delhi: Author Geetanjali Shree Thursday became the first Indian to win the prestigious International Booker Prize for her translated Hindi novel ‘Tomb of Sand’. It became the first book in any Indian language to win the prestigious honour, that largely recognises fictional works from across the globe. The novel is about an octogenarian woman who recounts her journey beyond the borders following the demise of her husband.
After receiving the award and a prize money of GBP 50,000 at a ceremony in London, Geetanjali who hails from Delhi was ecstatic and said, she was “completely overwhelmed” with the “bolt from the blue”
“I never dreamt of the Booker, I never thought I could. What a huge recognition, I’m amazed, delighted, honoured and humbled,” said Geetanjali Shree, in her acceptance speech, reported news agency PTI.
“There is a melancholy satisfaction in the award going to it. ‘Ret Samadhi/Tomb of Sand’ is an elegy for the world we inhabit, a lasting energy that retains hope in the face of impending doom. The Booker will surely take it to many more people than it would have reached otherwise, that should do the book no harm,” she added.
Getanjali's novel, ‘Tomb of Sand’ was among 13 translated novels from 12 countries competing for the coveted honour. The award money of GBP 50,000, will be split evenly between the author and translator Daisy Rockwell.
Reflecting upon becoming the first work of fiction in Hindi to make the Booker cut, the 64-year-old author said it feels good to be the means of that happening.
“But behind me and this book lies a rich and flourishing literary tradition in Hindi, and in other South Asian languages. World literature will be the richer for knowing some of the finest writers in these languages. The vocabulary of life will increase from such an interaction,” Geetanjali was quoted as saying by PTI.
Rockwell, a painter, writer and translator living in Vermont, US, joined her on stage to receive her award for translating the novel she described as a “love letter to the Hindi language”.
“Ultimately, we were captivated by the power, the poignancy and the playfulness of ‘Tomb of Sand’, Geetanjali Shree’s polyphonic novel of identity and belonging, in Daisy Rockwell’s exuberant, coruscating translation,” said Frank Wynne, chair of the judging panel.
“This is a luminous novel of India and partition, but one whose spellbinding brio and fierce compassion weaves youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
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