JCB Prize for Literature: Women writers dominate the longlist in 2020 - Hindustan Times
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JCB Prize for Literature: Women writers dominate the longlist in 2020

New Delhi | ByPress Trust of India | Posted by Saumya Sharma
Sep 04, 2020 03:43 PM IST

The women writers on the list include Deepa Anappara for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line; Manjul Bajaj for In Search for Heer; Jahnavi Barua for Undertow; Dharini Bhaskar for These, Our Bodies, Possessed by Light; Megha Majumdar for A Burning; and Annie Zaidi for Prelude to a Riot.

Having authored six out of the ten books selected for the JCB Prize for Literature longlist, women writers dominated the list announced on Tuesday.

Now in its third edition, the Prize carries an amount of <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>25 lakh and is awarded each year to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)
Now in its third edition, the Prize carries an amount of 25 lakh and is awarded each year to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)

The women writers on the list include Deepa Anappara for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line; Manjul Bajaj for In Search for Heer; Jahnavi Barua for Undertow; Dharini Bhaskar for These, Our Bodies, Possessed by Light; Megha Majumdar for A Burning; and Annie Zaidi for Prelude to a Riot.

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Anappara, Bhaskar, Zaidi, and Majumdar also happen to be debut writers selected for the longlist this year.

Now in its third edition, the Prize carries an amount of 25 lakh and is awarded each year to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer. It is the most expensive Indian award for writing.

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The list also features two translations -- Moustache by S. Hareesh, translated from the Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil, and A Ballad of Remittent Fever: A Novel by Ashoke Mukhopadhyay, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha.

Other books on the list include Chosen Spirits by Samit Basu and The Machine is Learning by Tanuj Solanki.

The list of ten novels was selected by a panel of four judges: Tejaswini Niranjana, author and professor (Chair); Aruni Kashyap, author; Ramu Ramanathan, playwright and director; and Deepika Sorabjee, head of arts and culture portfolio, Tata Trusts.

“The longlisted books this year bring out the distinctive voice of each character and tell tales that are imaginative & powerful, providing us with fresh insights into the contemporary world even if some of them are set in historical times,” said the jury.

The shortlist, which will include five titles, will be announced on September 25. The winner will be declared on November 7.

If the winning book is a translation, then both the author and the translator will be acknowledged and awarded, and the latter will be given an additional 10 lakh. Also, each of the shortlisted authors will receive 1 lakh. In a similar vein, the translator will receive 50,000.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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