Tomb Of Sand by Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022
New Delhi, March 2022: Critically acclaimed author Geetanjali Shree’s novel Tomb of Sand, translated from the Hindi by Daisy Rockwell, has been nominated for this year’s International Booker Prize. The news of the longlist broke earlier today. This is the first time a translation of a Hindi language book has been nominated for the International Booker Prize. Tomb of Sand was first published in Hindi as Ret Samadhi in 2018 and Penguin is releasing its English translation in March 2022. This book has also been the winner of the English Pen Award.
One of the finest works by Geetanjali Shree, Tomb of Sand has received a lot appreciation from readers, who have reviewed it as engaging, funny and utterly original. Based on a tragic premise, the story however has a playful tone and exuberant wordplay. At the same time, it is an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact on borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or gender. This book is currently available on pre-order on all leading e-commerce websites.
The longlist for the 2022 International Booker Prize includes thirteen titles and their information can be found here. The jury is chaired by Frank Wynne, an Irish literary translator from French and Spanish. The judging panel consists of Merve Emre, Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, Zimbabwean lawyer and writer Petina Gappah, translator and author Jeremy Tiang and Viv Groskop, writer, critic, broadcaster and stand-up comedian.
The shortlist of six titles will be announced on 7 April 2022.
About the author
Author of three novels and several story collections, Geetanjali Shree’s work has been translated into English, French, German, Serbian, and Korean. She has received and been shortlisted for a number of awards and fellowships, and lives in New Delhi.
About the translator
Daisy Rockwell is an artist, writer and translator living in northern New England, USA. Apart from her essays on literature and art, she has written Upendranath Ashk: A Critical Biography, The Little Book of Terror and the novel Taste. Her highly acclaimed translations include, among others, Upendranath Ashk’s Falling Walls and Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas, published in Penguin Classics.
