Sometimes, the unlauded triumph. That was the case last week, when a practically unnoticed novel in the Western media became the first translated from Hindi to be nominated, and the first in an Indian language to win the International Booker Prize.
Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree was named the International Booker winner last Thursday in London. The prize honors works translated into English. She will split the $63,000 prize with translator Daisy Rockwell.
The novel, which is more than 700 pages, is the story of an elderly Hindi widow who decides to travel from India to Pakistan to grapple with her past. Despite the seemingly morose subject matter, including partition, it is described as playful by the judging committee. I'll have to take the committee's word for it, as the novel does not yet have an American publishing deal. I expect that to change after this win, however.
Fiction written in English, the language I grew up with, has always provided me with opportunities to see parts of the human experience from different perspectives. But when there is the chance to widen the chance to see through different lenses because of fiction translated from different languages and different cultures, there is an even better opportunity to have those "aha!" moments of understanding.
I have featured some translated works throughout the years in this diary series, and am planning to soon feature at least two more. Among the resources that have been helpful to me are:
Three Percent, devoted to international literature
The great Words Without Borders website
The Translation Database, as outlined in this Publishers Weekly article
This running column from The New York Times
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