Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi was an Indian writer in Bengali and a political activist.
Her notable literary works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, and Aranyer Adhikar. As a political activist, she worked for the rights and empowerment of the tribal people (Lodha and Shabar) of West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India.
She was honoured with various literary awards such as the Sahitya Akademi Award (in Bengali), Jnanpith Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award, as well as India’s distinguished service civilian awards Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.
Mahasweta Devi was shortlisted for The Man Booker International Prize 2009.
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Background
Between 2005 - 2015, the Man Booker International Prize recognised one writer for their achievement in fiction.
Worth £60,000, the prize was awarded every two years to a living author who had published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.
The winner was chosen solely at the discretion of the judging panel and there were no submissions from publishers.
The Man Booker International Prize was different from the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction in that it highlighted one writer’s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. In focusing on overall literary excellence, the judges considered a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel.