Anjum Hasan

Anjum Hasan
Born Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Occupation Books editor, Caravan magazine
Website
http://www.anjumhasan.com

Anjum Hasan is an Indian novelist, short story writer, poet, and editor. She was born in Shillong, Meghalaya and currently lives in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Career

Anjum Hasan’s first book was the collection of poems Street on the Hill, published by Sahitya Akademi in 2006.[1][2][3] The book appeared in Norwegian translation as Gata på toppen av en ås as in 2011 from Margbok (translated by Lene E. Westerås).[4]

Her debut novel Lunatic in my Head (Zubaan-Penguin, 2007) was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award 2007.[5] Set in Shillong, a picturesque hill-station in north-east India, in the early 1990s, the novel weaves together the stories of its three main characters, ranging from an IAS aspirant who is obsessed with Pink Floyd to a college teacher struggling to complete her PhD and longing to find love. The novel has been described by Siddhartha Deb as 'haunting and lyrical' and as acquiring a 'lyrical intensity'.[6]

Her second novel titled Neti, Neti (Roli Books, 2009) was longlisted for the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize and shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award in 2010. It told the story of a twenty-five-year old Sophie Das, a dreamy character from Shillong, looking for fulfilment in boom town Bangalore. According to the reviews “Neti, Neti paints an empathetic portrait of the unusually liberated—and unexpectedly lost—middle-class youth of the brave new India."[7] and ““Hasan’s writing is full of warm humour... Blurbs will struggle to capture her subversivesness.”[8]

Her short-story collection, Difficult Pleasures (Penguin/Viking 2012), was shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize[9] and the Crossword Book Award.[10] Lunatic in my Head, Neti, Neti (as Big Girl Now) and Difficult Pleasures have all appeared in Australia from Brass Monkey Books.[11][12][13]

Her third novel The Cosmopolitans appeared from Penguin Books India in 2015 and from Brio Books Australia in 2016.[14] Reviews said “Fiercely intelligent”,[15] “an author at the peak of her powers”[16] and “That rare thing: a novel of ideas”[17]

She has also contributed poems, articles and short stories to various national and international publications.[18]

She is currently Books Editor for The Caravan.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Review of Street on the Hill in The Hindu Literary Review
  2. ↑ "Review of Street on the Hill in Tehelka" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "Up and down the hill". The Hindu. 2006-07-11. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  4. ↑ https://bokelskere.no/bok/gata-paa-toppen-av-en-aas/320649/
  5. ↑ "Lunatic in my head on Crossword Book Award shortlist".
  6. ↑ http://jaiarjun.blogspot.com/2007/12/anjum-hasan-shillong-and-lunatic-in-my.html
  7. ↑ "Review of Neti Neti in Outlook".
  8. ↑ "Review of Neti Neti in Tehelka".
  9. ↑ Staff writer (February 17, 2013). "The Hindu Literary Prize goes to Jerry Pinto". The Hindu. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Difficult Pleasures on Crossword shortlist".
  11. ↑ "Lunatic in my Head from Brass Monkey Books".
  12. ↑ "Big Girl Now from Brass Monkey Books".
  13. ↑ "Review of Australian edition of Difficult Pleasures".
  14. ↑ "Brio Books".
  15. ↑ "India Express Review of The Cosmopolitans".
  16. ↑ "Mint Lounge Review of The Cosmopolitans".
  17. ↑ "India Today review of The Cosmopolitans".
  18. ↑ Anjum Hasan's website
  19. ↑ The Caravan


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