New Delhi: Since the beginning of time, stories have fostered empathy, connection, and vulnerability between readers and writers. English and Hindi fiction serve as cultural mirrors, reflecting the vibrancy and complexities of Indian literature. They share the Indian experience globally through English fiction and nationally through Hindi fiction.
As author Salman Rushdie put it in an interview last year following his close shave with death back in New York, “It has always been the case, you know, in many parts of the world that dictators fear poets. And it’s very strange because writers have no armies.”
Rushdie is one of Valley of Word (VoW) festival’s shortlisted authors for the 2024 VoW Book awards in the English fiction category. Since the beginning of P.N. Panicker Reading month (9 June to 19 July), VoW has been releasing its Shortlist weekly — from diverse translations of Bhashas of Bharat into English to Hindi translations, which are ever more important and worthy of discussion in an increasingly polarised world, to illuminating non-fiction works in Hindi and English.
It is notable that stylistically, Hindi fiction often leans towards a more rhythmic writing style, while English fiction is free to choose a more specifically stylised writing, as and when the character demands it. However, regional variance is a quality that is a common thread between the two categories.
The jury member for English fiction, Professor Surekha Dangwal mentioned how this year’s shortlist promises journeys that transcend borders and centuries, books that explore stories of the partition or challenging social norms, societal restrictions faced by women and the marginalised, along with a story of epic proportions, reimaging a lost Indian epic. We also have a shortlisted book that gives voice to the struggles of the exiled Tibetans.
The 2024 VoW shortlisted books in the English Fiction category are:
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies, by Tsering Yangzom Lama, published by Bloomsbury
The Woman Who Climbed Trees, by Smriti Ravindra, published by HarperCollins
The Book of Everlasting Things, by Aanchal Malhotra, published by HarperCollins
The Sufi’s Nightingale, by Sarbpreet Singh, published by Speaking Tiger
Victory City, by Salman Rushdie, published by Penguin
The juror for Hindi fiction, Neelesh Raghuvanshi, mentioned how the selection process was exceptionally difficult this year. The intriguing stories delve into the ever-changing landscape of memory, weaving together themes of perseverance, survival, and the unwavering flame of hope. The VoW has curated a selection of tales that promise a unique blend of fantastical elements, seamlessly interwoven with the complexities of reality and thought-provoking social commentary.
The 2024 VoW shortlisted books in the Hindi Fiction category are:
Vaishalinama: Loktantra ki Janmkatha, by Prabhat Pranit, published by Radhakrishna
Vanika, by Lovely Goswami, published by Vani
Antim Nimbu, by Uday Prakash, published by Vani
Simsim, by Geet Chaturvedi, published by Hindi Yugm
Dariya Bandar Kot, by Upasana, published by Hindi Yugm
ThePrint is the digital media partner for the Valley of Words Book Awards 2024.
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