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British Indian author wins Windham-Campbell Prize for nonfiction
Rana Dasgupta was recognized for his book ‘Capital: A Portrait of Twenty-First-Century Delhi’
Rana Dasgupta / Wikipedia
Yale University awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for nonfiction to British-Indian author Rana Dasgupta.
The award, which recognizes literary achievement or promise, comes with a $175,000 cash prize, making it one of the most significant literary prizes in the world.
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According to the award citation, Dasgupta was recognized for “perceptive critique of global hypercapitalism, industrialization, politics, and class,” particularly in his book ‘Capital: A Portrait of Twenty-First-Century Delhi.’
The book, which examines the social and economic transformation of India’s capital, was previously shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize.
Born in England and deeply connected to India, Dasgupta has been a prominent voice in contemporary literature. He has written both fiction and nonfiction, earning widespread recognition for his work. His novel Solo won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book and the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize, while his nonfiction book Capital received the Ryszard Kapuściński Award and the Émile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature. His debut novel, Tokyo Cancelled, was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.
Beyond his writing, Dasgupta has played a key role in shaping India’s literary landscape, serving as the founding literary director of the JCB Prize for Literature. His forthcoming book, After Nations, explores the challenges facing countries in a rapidly changing world.
Administered by Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Windham-Campbell Prizes were established in 2013 through a gift from writer Donald Windham in memory of his partner, Sandy Campbell. The prizes are awarded annually across fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, with recipients nominated confidentially and judged anonymously.
Dasgupta is among eight writers honored this year, including Sigrid Nunez (United States) and Anne Enright (Ireland) in fiction, Patricia J. Williams in nonfiction, Roy Williams and Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini (United Kingdom) in drama, and Anthony V. Capildeo (Scotland/Trinidad and Tobago) and Tongo Eisen-Martin (United States) in poetry.
The Windham-Campbell Prize will be formally conferred at an international literary festival at Yale in the fall. Since its inception, the award has recognized 107 writers from 22 countries.
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