A shortlist of five book titles for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2017 was announced at an event at the London School of Economics & Political Science on September 27.
In the presence of renowned literati the much anticipated shortlist was announced by Ritu Menon along with the four other jury members: Senath Walter Perera, Steven Bernstein, Valentine Cunningham and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
The jury had earlier announced a longer list of 13 novels at the Oxford Bookstore in New Delhi in August.
The shortlist represents a diverse mix of established writers and young novelists fast making their mark in the South Asian literary landscape. The list includes three Indian writers, of whom two are based outside of the South Asian region, one Sri Lankan writer, and one American writer based in India.
The five shortlisted entries contending for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2017 are "The Living" by Anjali Joseph, "The Story of a Brief Marriage" by Anuk Arudpragasam, "Selection Day" by Aravind Adiga, "The Association of Small Bombs" by Karan Mahajan, and "In the Jungles of the Night" by Stephen Alter. The winner will be awarded a prize money worth $25,000.
Ritu Menon, Chair of the jury said: "After deliberating on the many exceptional qualities of the novels selected, and considering the disparities in our backgrounds, the jury was unanimous in its decision on the five shortlisted titles. All five display a remarkable skill in animating current universal preoccupations in unconventional idioms, and from a distinctively South Asian perspective."
The jury will now deliberate on the shortlist over the next month and a half, and the winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2017 will be announced at a special Award Ceremony at the Dhaka Literary Festival in Bangladesh on November 18.
The vision for the DSC Prize is to showcase and reward the best writing about the South Asian region and bring it to a global audience. It was instituted by Surina Narula and Manhad Narula in 2010.
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