A Hindi novel wins the International Booker Prize for the first time
If you are a literature lover, you probably know that Delhi-based author Geetanjali Shree has won the International Booker Prize 2022 for her novel ‘Ret Samadhi’. This literary gem happens to be the first Indian language novel to have won this prestigious award. Ret Samadhi was translated into English in August 2021 by Daisy Rockwell, a US-born translator of Hindi and Urdu literature. The English version, known as Tomb of Sand, was among 13 other translated novels from 12 countries across four continents. The award carries a prize money worth £50,000 to be shared equally between the author and the translator. Here’s all you need to know about this award-winning novel.
Ret Samadhi
Ret Samadhi is a 376-page, fiction published by the renowned publishing house, Rajkamal Prakashan in 2018. So, what is the plot like? The story is woven around an 80-year-old woman, Ma, who has lost her husband recently. She has been in a state of samadhi (concentration) since his death. Each member of the family attempts to interrupt her trance-like meditative state, but in vain. Well, is it just sorrow and depression or there’s something else to it. You never know, she’s perhaps plotting her next move as her son Bade frets about getting cheque books or even blank papers signed. On the other hand, Bahu, Bade's wife, believes that no one appreciates or even notices her sacrifices.
While reading the novel, you might notice that the author not only breaks a limit when she creates a character like Ma, she also generates a world of possibilities where nothing is out of the ordinary.
While the first edition of the novel was published in 2018, the second edition came in 2021. The English version, which appeared in August 2021, was published by Tilted Axis Press.
Life and Works of Geetanjali Shree
Geetanjali Shree is the author of several short story collections and five novels: Mai, Hamara Shahar Us Baras, Tirohit, Khali Jagah and Ret Samadhi. Her work has been translated into English, French, German, Serbian, and Korean languages. Born in Mainpuri, UP and currently based out of New Delhi, the 64-year-old Hindi novelist has received and been nominated so far for a number of awards and fellowships. For instance, her novel Mai (2000) was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award. It was a great hit and was translated into a number of languages. In fact, Nita Kumar won the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize for translating Mai into English. Hamara Shahar Us Baras, Geetanjali's second novel, was partially inspired by the Babri demolition.
Life and Works of Daisy Rockwell
Daisy Rockwell lives in northern New England, where she works as an artist, writer, and translator. She is the author of Upendranath Ashk: A Critical Biography, The Little Book of Terror, and the novel Taste, in addition to her other critical works on literature and art. Upendranath Ashk's Girti Deewarein (Falling Walls) and Bhisham Sahni's Tamas, both published by Penguin Classics, are among her critically-appreciated translations.