Stylish Indian author Siddhartha Deb scooped the prestigious award for his novel “The Beautiful and the Damned”.
Deb was born in Meghalaya and grew up in Shillong. He is the author
of two novels, the first a semi-autobiographical account of growing up
in that “town…few people can find on a map.” Deb made his way from
Shillong to Kolkata, and then to Columbia University. He is now a
professor in creative writing at the New School, in New York.
Deb’s “The Beautiful and the Damned” has the feel of a novel as the
sweeping India story is told through dents made by modern India in his
characters’ lives. Deb follows the lives of teeming call centre workers,
traders, businessmen, tycoons, debt-laden farmers and steel factory
workers.
His book also has a riveting profile of a young Manipuri woman
called Esther who works in Delhi, where her north-eastern features
inspire subtle forms of racism.
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