LONDON, England – Again, readers in Asia and beyond have some memorable new reading. A record seven novels are shortlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize.
During a press conference at Man Group offices in London, a contest judge said the strength of Asian contemporary fiction forced a decision to lengthen the shortlist from five books. Here are the shortlisted authors and books:
Jamil Ahmad (Pakistan), The Wandering Falcon
Ahmad was born in Jalandhar in 1933. As a member of Pakistan's civil service, he worked mainly in the Frontier Province and in Balochistan. He was posted at Pakistan's embassy in Kabul at a critical time when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Now he lives in Islamabad. The Wandering Falcon is his first novel. Set before the rise of the Taliban, it takes readers to the essence of life in forbidden areas where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet. Today the “tribal areas” are called a remote region, a hotbed of conspiracies, drone attacks and conflicts. The novel reveals this highly traditional, honor-bound culture from the inside.
Jahnavi Barua (India), Rebirth
Based in Bangalore, Barua is a medical doctor who writes fiction. Her first book, Next Door, a collection of short stories, appeared in 2008. She contributes essays and book reviews to various publications. Rebirth tells of Kaberi, a young woman grappling with an uncertain marriage. It's also an intimate portrait of a mother's bond to an unborn child. It blends Kaberi's inner and outer worlds amid betrayal and loss.
Rahul Bhattacharya (India), The Sly Company of People Who Care
Born in 1979, Bhattacharya, a cricket journalist since 2000, is a contributing editor with Wisden Asia Cricket. In the novel, a 26-year-old Indian journalist leaves his job and travels to escape the “deadness of his life”. He arrives in Guyana, a forgotten colonial society of raw beauty, where he's absorbed by fantastic prospects in a place where descendants of the enslaved made a new world.
Amitav Ghosh (India), River of Smoke
Born in Calcutta in 1956, Ghosh grew up in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India, but now divides time between Calcutta, Goa and Brooklyn. He has written several novels, including the popular Sea of Poppies. In River of Smoke, a storm on the Indian Ocean in 1838 batters the Ibis, a ship carrying convicts and indentured laborers from Calcutta to Mauritius. The novel follows storm-tossed characters to crowded harbors in China, where despite the emperor trying to stop them, European and Indian ships exchange opium for tea, silk, porcelain and silver.
Kyung-sook Shin (South Korea), Please Look After Mom (translated by Chi-Young Kim)
The prolific Shin, one of South Korea's most acclaimed novelists, lives in Seoul. Please Look After Mom, her first book to appear in English, was a million-copy bestseller in South Korea. It's a stunning story of a family's search for their mother, who went missing in a crowded subway station.
Yan Lianke (China), Dream of Ding Village (translated by Cindy Carter)
Born in 1958 in China's Henan Province, Yan has written many novels and short stories, winning several of China's top literary awards. Censored in China, Dream of Ding Village is the author's most important novel yet. Set in a poor village, it's a deeply moving and beautifully written account of a blood-selling scandal.
Banana Yoshimoto (Japan), The Lake (translated by Michael Emmerich)
Yoshimoto wrote her popular first novel, Kitchen, while working as a waitress. Now she's among the most-famous Japanese writers ever. The Lake, her 13th book of fiction, has a young woman moving to Tokyo after her mother dies. She hopes to overcome grief, but often stares out a window, seeing a young man across the street do the same. They start a hesitant romance, and she learns that he suffered a childhood trauma. Visiting two of his friends by a beautiful lake, she gathers clues and wonders if his experience relates to a bizarre religious cult.
Ninety books were submitted for Man Prize consideration. On March 15, the winner will be announced in Hong Kong.
Presumably, readers won't be disappointed if they reach for any of the shortlisted books. The toughest choice may be which one to read first.
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