Tabish Khair
Encyclopedia
Tabish Khair is an Indian English
author and associate professor in the Department of English, University of Aarhus
in Denmark
. His books include Babu Fictions (2001), The Bus Stopped (2004), which was shortlisted for the Encore Award
(UK) and The Thing About Thugs (2010), which has been shortlisted for a number of prizes, including Asia's Booker, the Man Asian Literary Prize.
, India, Khair's honours and prizes include the All India Poetry Prize (Poetry Society and the British Council
), a honorary fellowship for creative writing from the Baptist University of Hong Kong, fellowships at Delhi's universities and a by-fellowship at Churchill College, Cambridge University, UK. Other Routes (2005), an anthology of travel writing by Africans and Asians, was edited by Khair (with a foreword by Amitav Ghosh
). Khair's Encore shortlisted novel, The Bus Stopped, has already appeared in French, Italian and Portuguese. Khair's novel, Filming (2007), is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India
and the 1940s Bombay film industry
. It has been greeted with acclaim: "...in keeping with Khair's pertinent and thought-provoking musings on self-deception". An excerpt of the novel has been anthologised in Ahmede hussain
's The New Anthem: The Subcontinent in its Own Words. In June 2008, it was shortlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award
in India. Tabish Khair's study, The Gothic, Postcolonialism and Otherness, was released by Palgrave (Macmillan
) in the UK and US in the winter of 2009. His latest novel, set in Victorian London, The Thing About Thugs, was released by Harper Collins in the summer of 2010 and has been shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award,, short-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
, and short-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize
. It has also been listed for the DSC Prize for South Asia and is scheduled to appear in translation in Brazil, Italy, Russia and France in 2012. Khair's works have been translated into various languages; the Danish translation of Filming: A Love Story was shortlisted for Denmark's top translation/literature award (the ALOA prize) and the French translation of The Bus Stopped was shortlisted for a major French translation prize. Previously a journalist with the Times of India, Khair continues to write and review for publications in India, UK, Denmark etc, in particular for the Hindu (India).
Indian English
Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...
author and associate professor in the Department of English, University of Aarhus
University of Aarhus
Aarhus University , located in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, is Denmark's second oldest and second largest university...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. His books include Babu Fictions (2001), The Bus Stopped (2004), which was shortlisted for the Encore Award
Encore Award
The £10,000 Encore Award for the best second novel - now awarded biennially - was first awarded in 1990. It is administered by the Society of Authors and is sponsored by Lucy Astor. The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement of outstanding second...
(UK) and The Thing About Thugs (2010), which has been shortlisted for a number of prizes, including Asia's Booker, the Man Asian Literary Prize.
Literary career
Born and educated mostly in GayaGaya, India
Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...
, India, Khair's honours and prizes include the All India Poetry Prize (Poetry Society and the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
), a honorary fellowship for creative writing from the Baptist University of Hong Kong, fellowships at Delhi's universities and a by-fellowship at Churchill College, Cambridge University, UK. Other Routes (2005), an anthology of travel writing by Africans and Asians, was edited by Khair (with a foreword by Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh , is a Bengali Indian author best known for his work in the English language.-Life:Ghosh was born in Calcutta on July 11, 1956, to Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, a retired officer of the pre-independence Indian Army, and was educated at The Doon School; St...
). Khair's Encore shortlisted novel, The Bus Stopped, has already appeared in French, Italian and Portuguese. Khair's novel, Filming (2007), is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
and the 1940s Bombay film industry
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
. It has been greeted with acclaim: "...in keeping with Khair's pertinent and thought-provoking musings on self-deception". An excerpt of the novel has been anthologised in Ahmede hussain
Ahmede Hussain
Ahmede Hussain is a Bangladeshi author. His ancestors hail from the former Portuguese enclave of Patherghata, Chittagong in Bangladesh. He has edited...
's The New Anthem: The Subcontinent in its Own Words. In June 2008, it was shortlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award
Vodafone Crossword Book Award
Vodafone Crossword Book Award is an Indian book award sponsored by Vodafone and Crossword Bookstores. It is India's biggest private sector award. The Award was instituted in 1998 with the intention of competing with The Booker Prize, Commonwealth Writers' Prize or The Pulitzer Prize.The award...
in India. Tabish Khair's study, The Gothic, Postcolonialism and Otherness, was released by Palgrave (Macmillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
) in the UK and US in the winter of 2009. His latest novel, set in Victorian London, The Thing About Thugs, was released by Harper Collins in the summer of 2010 and has been shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award,, short-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is a literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South Asia themes such as culture, politics, history, or people. It is for an original full-length novel written in English, or translated into English. The first award...
, and short-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize
Man Asian Literary Prize
The Man Asian Literary Prize, founded in 2007, is an annual literary award given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year...
. It has also been listed for the DSC Prize for South Asia and is scheduled to appear in translation in Brazil, Italy, Russia and France in 2012. Khair's works have been translated into various languages; the Danish translation of Filming: A Love Story was shortlisted for Denmark's top translation/literature award (the ALOA prize) and the French translation of The Bus Stopped was shortlisted for a major French translation prize. Previously a journalist with the Times of India, Khair continues to write and review for publications in India, UK, Denmark etc, in particular for the Hindu (India).
External links
- Official author website
- Poetry International Web page on Khair