Latest news with #ArundhatiRoy
Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Arundhati Roy's memoir ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me' to hit shelves on September 2- read these 5 books while you wait
Booker prize-winning writer Arundhati Roy's memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me will hit the stands on September 2, publisher Penguin Random House India (PRHI) announced on Monday. The book, currently available for pre-orders online, unravels Roy's deeply personal experiences of becoming the person and writer she is, 'shaped most profoundly by her complex bond with her extraordinary, singular mother, women's rights activist Mary Roy, whom she ran from at age 18'. While we wait for Roy's highly anticipated memoir to hit shelves, here are five of her books to dive into now. From her Booker Prize-winning debut to her political essays, Roy's work is sure to keep you engrossed in the meantime. Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize-winning debut novel, The God of Small Things, is considered a cornerstone of postcolonial literature. Set in 1960s Kerala, it follows fraternal twins Rahel and Estha, whose lives unravel amid caste oppression and familial hypocrisy. Roy's lyrical prose and non-linear narrative expose the brutality of societal norms, interwoven with themes of love, loss, and forbidden boundaries. The novel's critique of India's caste system and moral rigidity earned global acclaim, translated into 40+ languages. Its vivid imagery—from pickle factories to riverbanks—immerses readers in a world where 'small things' shape destinies. A tragic yet poetic exploration of childhood innocence and adult complicity, the book remains a defining work of contemporary fiction, cementing Roy's place as a literary icon. Two decades after her debut, Roy returned with The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, a sprawling saga of India's marginalised. Longlisted for the Booker, the novel interlaces stories of transgender activist Anjum, Kashmiri rebel Musa, and abandoned baby Tilo, blending magical realism with sharp political commentary. From Delhi's graveyards to restive Kashmir, Roy exposes systemic violence while celebrating resilience. The narrative's fragmented structure mirrors India's fractured identity. Critics praised its audacity, though some found its scope overwhelming. A love letter to the dispossessed, the book reaffirms Roy's mastery of storytelling as both art and activism. This fiery essay collection confronts India's 1998 nuclear tests, globalisation, and authoritarianism. Roy lambasts 'nuclear nationalism' and dam projects displacing millions. Her critique of corporate greed and state violence sparked controversy, branding her a dissident. The book compiles five works, including The Cost of Living and War Talk, with a new introduction. Roy revisits the Gandhi-Ambedkar debate, exposing how caste oppression was sidelined in India's freedom struggle. Contrasting Gandhi's paternalism with Ambedkar's radical egalitarianism, she argues that his Annihilation of Caste remains urgent. The book, originally a preface to Ambedkar's text, dissects Gandhi's views on race and caste, urging a reckoning with his legacy. Scholarly yet accessible, it challenges mainstream narratives, advocating for Ambedkar's vision of social justice. Written during India's anti-CAA protests and Covid-19 lockdowns, Azadi (Urdu for 'freedom') interrogates the alleged rise of fascism. Through nine essays she makes a case for 'dissidence.' The title essay warns against conflating majoritarianism with democracy, while 'The Pandemic is a Portal' imagines post-crisis futures. (With PTI inputs)
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
HT Archives: Arundhati Roy wins Booker for her debut novel
October 16, 1997 The imposing chandeliered Guildhall full of literati, academicians and well-known faces from the publishing world broke into a polite applause as the five judges announced their unanimous decision awarding the 29th Booker prize (around £21,000), so far, the most prestigious literary award in Britain, to 37-year-old Arundhati Roy from New Delhi for her first novel The God of Small Things. The award to her did not cause any flutter in the hall as she was a hot favourite to win. Bookmakers Ladbrokes refused to take any more bets soon after noon on the 9/4 rated writer while booksellers were unanimously saying that Ms. Roy would easily win . Her closest rivals to start with were Nick Jackson (The Underground Man) and Jim Crace (Quarantine). But in the final discussions she beat the fancied Belfast-born Bernard Mac Lavert (Grace Notes) and Madeliene St. John (The Essence of The Thing). Ms. Roy, wearing a maroon silk sari, was overwhelmed with emotion as people gathered round to congratulate her. She said, 'There is no book which has universal admiration... another set of judges would have chosen another book.' 'There is no such thing as a perfect book. If there had been five different judges there might have been another winner. It is as much luck as worthiness,' she added She averred that she would resist the urge to write a second novel. 'For me this prize is about my past. Having written this. I am back to square one. I do not know whether I will write another.' About the much criticised and controversial Booker prize awards she said. 'Reviews and prizes are somehow for readers more than writer.' Ms Roy has proved Salman Rushdie right. He said during a discussion the night before the award that there are a lot of young writers who do not appear to be promising and one feels that the novel scene is dull, when suddenly a book comes up and the writer is acknowledged as talented. Ms. Roy has established herself firmly by walking away with the prize with her first novel, although voices of disappointments and dissent inevitably follow the judges' verdict almost every year. At least no judge walked out of the meeting as one lady had done two years ago, refusing to endorse the majority choice. The decision this year, one learns, did not take long although naturally two more books on the list were initially discussed. In fact, the final list for consideration was heavily criticised for not including Ian McEwan's Enduring Love. The real reason for disappointment was that there was not a single writer from the London literary scene. A very elated Tarun J. Tejpal of Indiaink, which published Ms. Roy's book, told this correspondent that he was naturally delighted but until the announcement he was sure that the award would go to someone else. 'Every factor was against it.' He explained that there was such a build-up for Ms. Roy's novel in the book world and such an overwhelming consensus for it to win the prize that he expected the judges, who tend to do their own thing, to choose some other writer. He expected them to be somewhat upset at almost being weighed down by the consensus that had built up. It's also the Mother Teresa syndrome of doing good which often guides the judges. They generally decide to promote a new talent which needs promotion. Whereas, Mr Tejpal further added, Ms. Roy's book, despite being a hardback and a serious literary work (released on April 4 this year) had already sold 4,00,000 copies in the first six months. Its commercial success has been bewildering, Mr Tejpal said. A spokesperson of the booksellers. Waterstones, which has sold 300 hardback copies at one of their branches in London since June, agreed that 300 was a large number for a 'literary' book. 'If I was a betting man I would back it,' he said earlier in the evening. Ms. Roy's 350-page book, which took four years to write, started a bidding war in the publishing world and reportedly fetched £1 million for the rights. It has been published in 19 and sold in 30 countries. It is so far the 16th most popular hardback here with 953 copies sold in the last seven days. Its sale is set to pick up now. Judge's panel chair Gillian Beer said after the award, 'With extraordinary linguistic inventiveness, Ms. Roy funnels the history of south India through the eyes of seven-year-old twins. The story is fundamental as well as local. It is about love and death yet tells its tale quite clearly. We were all engrossed by this novel'. There were of course some dissenting notes. One lady critic told this correspondent that she developed such distaste for the book that she was sure the judges would pick it. 'Judges have such extraordinary tastes.' Another critic, Carmen Callil ,who chaired last year's panel, said, 'It has got a vulgarity about it that embarrasses me.' From New Delhi President K. R. Narayanan led the nation in congratulating Arundhati Roy. 'I was delighted to learn that you have been awarded the Booker prize this year. Please accept my hearty congratulations. All of us in India are proud of your achievement,' Mr Narayanan said in a letter to Ms. Roy. 'I feel particularly proud as you hail from my own district of Kottayam,' the President added on a personal note. Prime Minister I. K. Gujral also felicitated Ms. Roy. He said the whole country took pride in this signal honour bestowed upon her. Union Human Resource Development Minister S. R. Bommai also congratulated Ms. Roy. He said the novel indisputably portrays the problems and possibilities that characterize our society today. It was not only an excellent work of art but also an expression of conscience that exposes social ills like discrimination against women and against untouchables by casteist hierarchy, he added. 'This is a moment of celebration not only for writers of India but also for every one of its citizens,' Mr Bommai said, adding that Ms. Roy has added to the glorious achievements of Indian writing.
Malay Mail
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
The price of a pen — when free speech hits the fan in South-east Asia — Che Ran
MAY 15 — In a region as diverse and vibrant as Southeast Asia, words have always carried a special weight. Here, where languages blend and histories intertwine, the power of the written word is a force to be reckoned with. It can inspire revolutions, topple governments, and challenge the status quo – or, in more delicate times, it can simply remind us of our shared humanity. Arundhati Roy, the indomitable Indian author, stands as a symbol of this uneasy dance. Her latest skirmish with the Indian government – a 'terror' case for the sin of speaking her mind – has become a global spectacle. But the echoes of her battle reach far beyond India's borders, resonating in the humid halls of power across Southeast Asia, where governments have perfected the art of silencing dissent. In India, Roy's sharp tongue and unflinching pen have long been a thorn in the side of the establishment. She has exposed uncomfortable truths about caste, class, and the erosion of democracy. In a nation where the press is increasingly muzzled and dissent is branded as betrayal, her every word is a provocation – a reminder that not all voices can be bought or buried. But India is not alone in this delicate, dangerous dance. From Singapore's POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) to Thailand's lèse-majesté laws, the region has a long history of trimming the tongues of its truth-tellers. The methods vary – fines, arrests, smear campaigns – but the message remains the same: Speak at your own risk. Take Malaysia, a country where the pen has proven mightier than the sword in recent history. It was here that The Edge, one of the nation's most influential business publications, dared to report on the largest financial scandal the world has ever seen – 1MDB. Its editor, Ho Kay Tat, faced jail for exposing the truth, and the prime minister who once held the reins of power now sits behind bars. Yet, this is also a country that has seen significant change. There was a time when whistleblowers like Kevin Morais met brutal fates for speaking out against corruption. But today, Malaysia stands at a crossroads – a place where freedom is no longer just a whispered hope, but a growing expectation. In Myanmar, the price of truth can be even steeper. The 2021 military coup shattered the fragile democracy that had been painstakingly built over decades. Journalists like Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were thrown into prison for their courageous reporting on the military's brutal crackdown on the Rohingya, exposing the dark underbelly of a state desperate to control its narrative. Even now, under the harsh rule of the Tatmadaw, speaking the truth can be a death sentence, as independent media outlets are raided, shuttered, or forced into exile. Indonesia, too, has felt the weight of this pressure. Its democracy, young and fragile, is haunted by the ghosts of Suharto's iron-fisted rule. The echoes of the New Order era still reverberate, and journalists here still tread carefully, knowing that the wrong story can summon the heavy hand of the state. The murder of activist Munir Said Thalib, who was poisoned on a flight in 2004, serves as a grim reminder that even today, dissent can come at a devastating cost. Even now, the fear of being 'red-tagged' – labelled a communist or a threat to national security – is enough to chill the spine of any writer. In neighbouring Singapore, the approach is more surgical, precise – a scalpel to Malaysia's cautious balancing act. The city-state's leaders have perfected the art of legal intimidation. POFMA, with its bureaucratic sheen and clinical efficiency, allows the government to call out 'falsehoods' with the speed and finality of a guillotine. It is a system built not just to silence, but to humiliate – to remind its citizens that the truth is a privilege, not a right. Rappler CEO and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa gestures after a Manila court acquitted her from a tax evasion case, outside the Court of Tax Appeals in Quezon City, Philippines January 18, 2023. — Reuters pic And then there's the Philippines, where journalists face not just the law, but the barrel of a gun. It is a country where the free press has become a blood sport, where a critical headline can get you killed. Maria Ressa, the Nobel Prize-winning journalist, knows this all too well. Her fight for truth against a regime that branded her a criminal is a stark reminder that in some parts of South-east Asia, words don't just cut – they bleed. Yet, despite the risks, despite the threats, the voices of dissent refuse to be silenced. Because in every censored article, every banned book, every whispered truth, there is a defiance that cannot be snuffed out. South-east Asia's storytellers know this – that their words, however dangerous, however costly, are the lifeblood of democracy. So when Arundhati Roy stands in a courtroom, defiant and unbowed, she carries with her the echoes of every silenced voice, every censored word, every jailed writer from Colombo to Cebu. She is a reminder that the truth, though battered and bruised, still breathes. And that, perhaps, is what the powerful fear most – the simple, stubborn truth that words, once written, once spoken, cannot be unmade. So here's to the writers, the dreamers, the troublemakers – those brave enough to tell the truth, even when the price is everything. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
The Independent
06-02-2025
- The Independent
12 best Indian novels to delve into the country's culture and history
From the cultural splendour of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur to the glamour of Bollywood, India is a fascinating place. It's the world's most populous country and there's no better way to learn about its diverse culture and complex history than to read about it. India has a long and distinguished literary record. The country's first written works date as far back as 1500BC and its oral tradition is even older than that. Centuries on, India's literary culture is flourishing – as shown by the impressive number of Indian novelists who have won the Booker Prize over the past 50 years. These include Arundhati Roy, the author of The God of Small Things, Aravind Adiga, who wrote The White Tiger, and Kiran Desai, the author of The Inheritance of Loss. Salman Rushdie, who was born in India but is a British citizen, won the 1981 Booker Prize for Midnight's Children. How we tested We've chosen a mix of classics from years gone by and contemporary novels that portray modern-day life in India. Our main criteria was that the novels should be original, compelling and superbly written – the kind of books that convey the country's distinctive culture in literary form. Some of our choices, such as Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, shine a light on times of political upheaval, while books like The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota, relay the struggles of migrant workers who leave India and cross the world to look for work. In other words, there's something to suit all literary tastes.
