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Anjum Hasan

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Anjum Hasan
Born1972
Shillong, Meghalaya, India
OccupationWriter
Alma materNorth-Eastern Hill University
Website
www.anjumhasan.com

Anjum Hasan is an Indian novelist, short story writer, poet, and editor.

Early life

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Hasan was born in 1972 in Shillong, Meghalaya.[1][2] She stated in an interview that she had a middle-class upbringing - "insulated, comfortable but not over-privileged".[2] She graduated in philosophy from North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong.[3]

Career

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Anjum Hasan's first book was a collection of poems Street on the Hill, published by Sahitya Akademi in 2006.[4][5][6]

Her debut novel Lunatic in my Head (Zubaan-Penguin, 2007) was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award 2007.[7] Set in Shillong in the early 1990s, it weaves together the stories of its three main characters, and has been described by Siddhartha Deb as 'haunting and lyrical'.[8]

Her second novel titled Neti, Neti (Roli Books, 2009) was longlisted for the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize and shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award in 2010. It told the story of 25-year old Sophie Das, a dreamy character from Shillong, looking for fulfilment in Bangalore. The novel was described as painting "an empathetic portrait of the unusually liberated—and unexpectedly lost—middle-class youth of the brave new India."[9][10]

Her short-story collection, Difficult Pleasures (Penguin/Viking 2012), was shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize[11] and the Crossword Book Award.[12] Lunatic in my Head, Neti, Neti (as Big Girl Now) and Difficult Pleasures have all appeared in Australia from Brass Monkey Books.[13][14][15]

Her third novel The Cosmopolitans was published by Penguin Books India in 2015 and Brio Books Australia in 2016.[16][17][18] It was described as “that rare thing: a novel of ideas”[19]

In 2018 she published the short story collection A Day in the Life.[20] It won the Valley of Words award 2019.[21]

In 2022, Hasan's latest novel, History's Angel, was acquired by Bloomsbury India for publication.[22] The novel was awarded the Mumbai Literature Live! Literary Award for fiction book of the year in November, 2024.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Book Excerptise: Street on the hill by Anjum Hasan". www.cse.iitk.ac.in. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b Roy, Sumana (1 October 2015). "The lyrical expression of the ordinary attracts me: Anjum Hasan". The Punch Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  3. ^ "MLCU holds interactive seminar with noted writer Anjum Hasan". Highland Post. 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  4. ^ Review of Street on the Hill in The Hindu Literary Review
  5. ^ "Review of Street on the Hill in Tehelka" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Up and down the hill". The Hindu. 11 July 2006. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Lunatic in my head on Crossword Book Award shortlist".
  8. ^ "Jabberwock: Anjum Hasan, Shillong and Lunatic in my Head". 23 December 2007.
  9. ^ "Review of Neti Neti in Outlook".
  10. ^ "Review of Neti Neti in Tehelka".[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Staff writer (17 February 2013). "The Hindu Literary Prize goes to Jerry Pinto". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Difficult Pleasures on Crossword shortlist". 20 November 2013.
  13. ^ Hasan, Anjum (2010). Lunatic in my Head from Brass Monkey Books. Hunter Publishers. ISBN 9780980740516.
  14. ^ Hasan, Anjum (2010). Big Girl Now from Brass Monkey Books. Hunter Publishers. ISBN 9780980740561.
  15. ^ "Review of Australian edition of Difficult Pleasures".
  16. ^ "Brio Books".
  17. ^ "India Express Review of The Cosmopolitans". 15 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Mint Lounge Review of The Cosmopolitans". 24 August 2015.
  19. ^ "India Today review of The Cosmopolitans". 13 August 2015.
  20. ^ "A Day in the Life".
  21. ^ "Winners".
  22. ^ "Bloomsbury India to publish novelist Anjum Hasan's next book". ThePrint. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  23. ^ Scroll Staff (18 November 2024). "Literature Live announces 2024 winners of best books, poet laureate, and lifetime achievement awards". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 November 2024.