Know the Four Indians Who Have Won the Man Booker Prize

There are many international awards that are considered amongst the greatest but the Man Booker Prize takes the cake for being the most prestigious award in literature. The prize is given to one book that stands out as top-quality content. The only big obstacle in the selection of nominees is language; only novels written in English are accepted. Apart from that, there is no genuine selection barrier. All genres of books are accepted from all over the world.

Winning the Man Booker Prize is a major achievement for any author since it allows them to grow and increase more readership. The award also has prize money worth 50,000 pounds which accounts for a lot of money. The Man Booker is often cited as that one award renowned authors look forward to.

Starting in 1969, the Man Booker has gone on to become one of the most prestigious awards ever. The list of awardees for the award includes great names such as Penelope Fritzgerald, Anita Brookner, Peter Carey, Ben Okri, etc. Although the British award has been going on for more than 50 years, only 4 Indians have managed to bag it. Today we’ll learn a bit about these 4 writer geniuses who made India proud.

1. Salman Rushdie- Midnight Children

Salman Rushdie is a name that is associated with great writing. His stories are whimsical and capture the erratic nature of the author. Rushdie has written many exquisite novels but the one that got him international fame and made him popular overnight is none other than his magnum opus ‘Midnight Children’. In many ways, Midnight Children is considered amongst the greatest books ever written, especially in the magical realism genre. Rushdie won the Man Booker for his book in 1981 but the legacy of the book doesn’t stop here. Rushdie’s book went on to win again in 1993 and 2008 as the award celebrated its 25th and 40th anniversary.

2. Arundhati Roy- The God of Small Things

Arundhati Roy debuted with her novel “The God of Small Things” and went on to win the Man Booker in 1997. This is perhaps one of the greatest debuts ever in the history of literature post-2000s. Her bold writing flair have turned her into a written expression goddess of sorts. But despite writing critically acclaimed books, Roy is majorly famous for her inclination towards politics, which she doesn’t hide in any form.

3. Kiran Desai- The Inheritance of Loss

Kiran Desai won the Man Booker prize in 2006 for “The Inheritance of Loss”. Desai is the daughter of yet another Booker Prize nominee, Anita Desai. Kiran Desai’s book got her a lot of critical acclaim and she became a sought-after author overnight.

4. Aravind Adiga- The White Tiger

Aravind Adiga is one of the most popular authors in India and one whose writing has consistently inspired many. He debuted with ‘The White Tiger’ in 2008 and got the Man Booker prize the same year. He has since then gone on to write many books, but The White Tiger still remains his best. Adiga, who comes from a journalist background, is known to write stories about the underbelly of India.