DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2013) Winner
Jeet Thayil
ジート・タイイル
Jeet Thayil
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1959-01-01 （Mamalassery, Kerala, India）
- Nationality
- India
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Mumbai (Bombay) → Hong Kong → Bengaluru (Bangalore) → New York
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Journalist, Poet, Musician, Guitarist
- Active Years
- 1980-
- Nominations
- Man Booker Prize 2012 (Shortlist), The Hindu Literary Prize 2013 (Shortlist)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson College, Mumbai | — | — | — | — | India |
| Sarah Lawrence College (MFA) | — | — | MFA | — | United States |
Wilson College, Mumbai
Country:
India
Sarah Lawrence College (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Completed an MFA
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sahitya Akademi Award (English) | These Errors Are Correct | — | Sahitya Akademi | 受賞 |
| 2013 | DSC Prize for South Asian Literature | Narcopolis | — | DSC Prize | 受賞 |
| 2012 | Man Booker Prize | Narcopolis | — | Man Booker | ショートリスト（最終候補） |
| 2013 | The Hindu Literary Prize | Narcopolis | — | The Hindu | ショートリスト（最終候補） |
Sahitya Akademi Award (English)
2012
Work:
These Errors Are Correct
Organization:
Sahitya Akademi
Result:
受賞
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
2013
Work:
Narcopolis
Organization:
DSC Prize
Result:
受賞
Man Booker Prize
2012
Work:
Narcopolis
Organization:
Man Booker
Result:
ショートリスト（最終候補）
The Hindu Literary Prize
2013
Work:
Narcopolis
Organization:
The Hindu
Result:
ショートリスト（最終候補）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
These Errors Are Correct
2008 PoetryA collection of poems addressing urban life, personal memory, loss and addiction; one of his major English-language poetry collections.
urban lifeaddictionmemoryloss
Narcopolis
2012 Novel (historical/social)Set in 1970s–80s Bombay, the novel explores heroin/opium culture and the city's hidden history, memorialising marginalised lives.
drugsurban historymarginalisationmemory
Collected Poems
2015 Poetry (collected)A collected volume of his poetry, bringing together early and recent work.
selfcitylinguistic experimentation
The Book of Chocolate Saints
2017 NovelA novel about a solitary artist, exploring creativity and self-destruction.
creativityruinurban life
Low
2020 NovelA novel with a fragmented structure depicting characters confronting loss.
lossaddictionrecovery
Names of the Women
2021 Novel (biblical reimagining)A series of stories reimagining biblical women, giving voice to their perspectives.
womenbiblical textsreclamation
Bibliography
- Gemini (1992)
- Apocalypso (1997)
- English (2004)
- These Errors Are Correct (2008)
- Collected Poems (2015)
- Narcopolis (2012)
- The Book of Chocolate Saints (2017)
- Low (2020)
- Names of the Women (2021)
- The Elsewhereans: A Documentary Novel (2025)
Adaptations
- Babur in London (opera libretto)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- personal, lyrical voicerealistic/grotesque portrayals of urban shadowspoetic experimentation in English
- Recurring Motifs
- Mumbai cityscapeaddiction and recoverymarginalised peoplememory, death, loss
Health
-
alcoholism and drug addictionおよそ20年間（約18歳頃〜42歳）Affected his life and themes as a writer; he reported having quit around age 42.
Legacy
Jeet Thayil is a leading figure in contemporary Indian English literature, memorialising urban shadows, addiction and marginalised voices. He has received international recognition through awards such as the DSC Prize and a Man Booker shortlist.
In Popular Culture
- Narcopolis was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, bringing international attention.
Quotes
-
to create a kind of memorial, to inscribe certain names in stone. As one of the characters [in Narcopolis] says, it is only by repeating the names of the dead that we honour them.
Source: Interview / remarks about Narcopolis (2012)
Trivia
- First Indian to win the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (2013) for Narcopolis.
- His father is writer/editor T. J. S. George (Thayil Jacob Sony George).
- Performs and writes songs as half of the music project Sridhar/Thayil.
- Official website: www.jeetthayil.com