We’re extremely thrilled as this Jaipur Literature Festival is going to see many authors of Random House! Here is a brief author introduction for you to know more about the Random House authors who will be gracing the event:
Jhumpa Lahiri – A British Indian novelist, she is the recipient of Guggenheim Fellowship. This Pulitzer Winner confesses to writing her recent book, ‘The Lowland’ in a brownstone in Brooklyn. She was also nominated for the Man Booker and the US National Book Award.
Jack Turner – Apart from being the author of the book, ‘Spice: The History of a Temptation’, Jack Turner is also the host of a television documentary show!
Jim Al-Khalili – Jim Al-Khalili is a professor of Physics at the University of Surrey and president of the British Humanist Association. He is also the author of ‘Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics’.
K. Anis Ahmed – Apart from being an internationally renowned writer, Anis Ahmed is also the co-founder of ‘Bengal Lights’, Bangladesh’s most prominent new online English Literature journal.
Maaza Mengiste – An American-Ethiopian, Maaza Mengiste’s debut novel was selected by the Guardian as one of the 10 best contemporary African books. Most of the novel, ‘Beneath the Lion’s Gaze’ is based on the author’s own memories of the wartime in Ethiopia.
Nicholas Shakespeare – A British journalist and biographer, Nicholas Shakespeare has been the recipient of many awards. His recent novel, ‘Secrets of the Sea’, was a best-seller in Germany. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Otto de Kat – Otto de Kat is the pseudonym of Dutch journalist, poet, translator, editor and novelist, Jan Geurt Gaarland. His debut novel, Man in de verte (The Figure in the Distance) was published in 1998, followed in 2004 by De inscheper (Man on the Move) and in 2008 by Julia.
Raj Kundra – The businessman turned author’s journey to Nepal was a life changing experience for him as he discovered Pashmina Shawls there, which he imported to London! His excellent entrepreneurship skills led him to write the book, ‘How Not to Make Money’!
Ray Monk – A professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton, Ray Monk writes biographies. He is the recipient of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and for ‘Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius’. His most recent work is based on Robert Oppenhiemer’s life.
Reza Aslan – An Iranian-American writer and scholar of religions, Dr. Reza Aslan is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. He also put the argument about Jesus being White to rest by making a very interesting distinction between ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’.
Shereen El Feki – Shereen El Feki is a British journalist and author, who believes in studying society through sex, “because what happens in intimate life is shaped by forces on a bigger stage…” She is the author of ‘Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World’.
Vali Reza Nasr – Author of ‘The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat’, Vali Nasr is the Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. He is an American academic and an author specializing in the Middle East and the Islamic world.
Xiaolu Guo – A Chinese British writer, Xiaolu Guo is also a film maker. In 2013 she was named as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists.
A.N. Wilson – An English writer and newspaper columnist, A.N. Wilson’s books have won many awards. His book on Leo Tolstoy won the Whitbread Award for best biography of 1988.
Ananda Devi – Brought up in Mauritius, Ananda Devi has become one of the most prominent French writers of Mauritius and the Indian Ocean. She was made a ‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French Government in 2010.
Carsten Jensen – This Danish author and political columnist’s most recent work is ‘We, the Drowned’. He is also the recipient of the Olof Palme Prize, among other prestigious awards.
David Cannadine – Sir David Nicholas Cannadine is a British Historian, who is best known for his book, ‘The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy’. He has been knighted to honour his contribution to education.
Geoff Dyer – An English writer and Journalist, Geoff Dyer, has published several award winning novels. His book, ‘But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz’ brought him fame and won him the 1992 Somerset Maugham Prize.
Nadeem Aslam – At 13, Nadeem Aslam published his first short story in Urdu in a Pakistani newspaper. His debut novel, Season of the Rainbirds (1993), set in rural Pakistan, won the Betty Trask and the Author’s Club First Novel Award. He has also been shortlisted for the DSC Lit Award which will be announced on January 18 at the JLF.
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This Literature festival will appeal to everyone’s palette! Writers from different walks of life and different genres are coming together in this magical literature festival to share their knowledge, to make something more of the world and for the world. So, do not miss out this exciting opportunity to meet your favourite authors and to get inspired!
Go random at JLF!