Women writers surpass men in 2018 DSC Literature Prize entries
The DSC Prize has emerged as a top recognition in South Asia's literary landscape and this year more than half of the eligible entries from publishers worldwide include novels written by women. According to the presenters of the $25,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, this year more submissions have come in for novels authored by women writers as compared to their male counterparts.
Eventual winner to be announced next year
The novels submitted for the prize are currently being read and evaluated by a five-member international jury panel which would announce a list of 12-15 books in New Delhi in October. Thereafter, 5-6 books would be shortlisted and announced in London in November, and the eventual winner would be announced at a special award ceremony to be held in Feb'19 in a South-Asian country.
Prize has received 45 women entries out of 88 total
The prize which specifically focuses on South Asian fiction writing received a total of 88 eligible entries which include 45 novels written by women, which is the highest number of entries by women writers that the prize has received since its inception in 2010. Another interesting fact is - of the 45 entries by women authors, 15 have been written by debut novelists.
A little about the DSC Prize
The DSC Prize, which is now in its eighth year, is administered by the South Asian Literature Prize & Events Trust and is specifically focused on showcasing and rewarding the best talent writing about the region and presenting it to a larger global audience.
Quarter of submissions have come from publishers outside South Asia
The submissions this year came in from 40 publishers and across 56 imprints from across the globe. "Close to 25% of the submissions came in from publishers based out of the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia, which highlights the growing interest of publishers and authors across the world in South Asian writing," Surina Narula, founder of the DSC Prize, said.
Past winners of the prize include Jhumpa Lahiri, Naqvi
The entries represent a healthy mix of established and first-time novelists and also translated entries. Translated entries that have come in this year were originally written in Hindi, Tamil, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, and Malayalam. Past winners of the DSC Prize are HM Naqvi (Pakistan), Shehan Karunatilaka (Sri Lanka), Jeet Thayil from India, American author of Indian origin Jhumpa Lahiri, among others.
