fter a seven-month-long evaluation process, the Jury of The Asian Prize for Short Story announced the winner on December 15, 2024. Out of over 900 submissions, three stories made it to the shortlist: Litter by Shikhandin, The Perfect Lifeby Kushboo Shah, and The White Noise Lullaby by Natasha Sharma. Among them, Indian writer Natasha Sharma won The Asian Prize for Short Story 2024 for her work, The White Noise Lullaby.
The highlight of November was the eagerly awaited announcement of the Super Shortlist for The Asian Prize of Fiction, delivered by The Asian Committee on November 13, 2024. Out of six outstanding works of seamlessly woven prose that delve into unexplored themes and relevant social issues, three authors made it to the final list: Indian author Arefa Tehsin, Nepali-Indian author Smriti Ravindra, and American fiction writer V.V. Ganeshananthan.
At that time, we considered the Brahmins as outsiders. The Tamil they spoke was different. However, they treated us students like their own children. There was only one exception—our maths teacher, whom we called Arkay Saar. Despite being fond of us, on Mondays and Thursdays, if anyone hadn’t done their homework, he would grab his bamboo wand and beat the boy severely.
Bodhini Samaratunga is an accomplished emerging writer from Sri Lanka who is now based in Sweden. Her writing is firmly centred on social change, powered by her extensive experience as a medical professional working with marginalised populations. Bodhini is a strong advocate for purposeful writing, asserting that it transcends mere leisure.
A summarised interpretation of the country’s ocean economy and marine habitat since the end of colonialism is as follows. To date, the use of the Indian Ocean has been limited to what it was used since antiquity, namely trading and fishing. Many natural riches on the oceanfront have been neglected while the communities that should have been reaping the benefits are stuck in a vicious financial cycle.
There’s a different writing style, engaging and free flowing, though not introspective at all. Vihaan leaves no trail of his secretive affairs but he didn’t mean that…he’s in the shadow of someone other, unsure of himself, desperate for love, and finding it with Sheela, an older woman from the Khatri house. So treacherous that it cannot be rendered beautifully.
Deforested by Ravi Deviah is a Pandemic Thriller that Could Revive your Quarantine Flashbacks with its Limited yet Influential cast of Characters.
Kawaguchi’s magical café serves as more than a setting—it becomes a metaphor for the human condition, where we are forever bound by our choices whilst yearning for impossible opportunities to revisit significant moments. His gentle approach to magical realism offers healing rather than alienation, affirming connection’s transformative power.
Laura van den Berg’s State of Paradise is a captivating and enigmatic novel that deftly merges the mundane with the extraordinary. Set in the aftermath of a peculiar pandemic, this narrative follows a woman navigating her life as a ghostwriter while dealing with the repercussions of a devastating storm in her native Florida.
Sri Lankan politics is a thing of its own making. It is the unholy combination of good, bad, evil, and ugly. Machiavelli would have re-written “The Prince” had he had even a slight glimpse of Sri Lankan politics.
Being quite the coward, it was impossible that I would have defied a court summons, right? The truth is, I never received the summons. How do you explain that to the police? They were from another State and they didn’t understand Tamil. Worse still, English was totally alien to them.
A fresh and vibrant voice has emerged in the world of literature, as Ms. Prutuslyn Sackie prepares to launch her debut book Teenage Musings on Friday, September 13, 2024.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father forgives his son when he returns and welcomes him alone. In the same way, God waits for humans to realize what they have done wrong and ask for forgiveness and welcomes them back when they do.
Courage to Confess by Joshua Thangaraj is based on the above mentioned parable from the Bible.
1942 is a beautifully crafted tale of historical magic, mystery, and military adventure that captivated readers since the very first page. The unknown herd of characters seeded in the history that made significant contributions for India’s freedom fight is well-drawn and credibly chiseled with their specific roles in and out of the country.
Literary agencies are indeed gaining momentum. In essence, it is the same as actors/sportspersons having managers, we’re in the author’s corner to help navigate the complexities of the business, support and build on their vision for their books and writing careers. We’re here to help broaden their reach, and open doors to see their writing reach new audiences.
On the 07th of September from 4.00pm to 5.00pm (GMT+530), The Asian masterclass will introduce you a new author among its shortlist for The Asian Prize for Fiction.
I told the policemen, ‘Charu Nivedita is my chittappa (the younger brother of father), and he has stepped out briefly. Please have a cup of tea somewhere and come back soon; I’ll call him on the phone.’
Interestingly, most political and business books are ghostwritten. If it is widely known that a particular genre of book is ghostwritten, there is no surprise or deception.
Madhu Kapoor’s book explores a distinctive feature of contemporary philosophy; it studies the sowing of beliefs, moods, and juggernauts. Entirely not about ethics…yeah it considers ethics as one of the elemental powers that a philosopher keeps in their prowess. However, as it surfaces, the results show that it often lands on scrutinizing the closeness between ethics and the study of the liveable world.
The inaugural session of The Asian MasterClass is scheduled for August 31st, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM GMT+530. In this session, the author of The Witch in the Peepul Tree, shortlisted for The Asian Prize for Fiction, will explore the topic ‘Where do stories come from?’
