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Anita Desai: 10 Things You Should Know About the Renowned Author

She was born on June 24, 1937, as Anita Mazumdar. She is an Indian novelist known for her work The Village by the Sea. Aside from writing, Anita is the Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was only nine years old when she published her first story.

1. She Learned Different Languages at a Young Age

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When Anita was younger, she grew up speaking Hindi and German because her mother was a German immigrant and her father was a Bengali businessman.  She also spoke Bengali, Urdu as well as English. Anita was a student at Queen Mary’s Secondary School in Delhi. She later attended the University of Delhi where she received her B.A. in English Literature in 1957. 

2. Her Career in Writing Established Her Fame

The novel Cry The Peacock was published in 1963 and was a huge success because she collaborated with P. Lal in 1958. However, Anita considered Clear Light of Day as her most autobiographical work due to the fact that it was set during her coming of age. In 1984, she went on to publish the book In Custody which was well-received and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. 

Anita later wrote the book Fasting, Feasting in 1999 and was a Booker Prize finalist. The book increased her popularity and number of readers. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Girton College, Cambridge, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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3. Her Last Novel was an International Success

The Artist of Disappearance is a collection of novellas. It was published in the UK in 2011. The book was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2012. The book includes The Museum of Final Journeys, Translator Translated, and The Artist of Disappearance. It has themes of environmental destruction, the art of translation, and disappearing.

The Museum of Final Journeys tells the story of a collapsing art collection in a remote province in India. The themes in this story include ruin, and connecting the past and present through art of narration.

Translator Translated depicts the troubled relationship between a writer and her translator. The Artist of Disappearance tells the story of Ravi, he is a mysterious artist who lives in solitude in contact with nature.

4. Her Personal Life inspires Her Books

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In 1958, she married Ashvin Desai, who is the director of a computer software company and author of the book Between Eternities: Ideas on Life and The Cosmos. The couple has four children including Kiran Desai, who is a Booker-Prize-winning novelist.

When her children were young, they would go to Thul for weekends, Anita set her novel The Village by the Sea in the area. The book earned her the 1983 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

5. She has a Great Influence on Young Female Writers

Over the years, many readers have complemented Anita for her incredible work and her ability to inspire young girls who love writing. Her story has had an incredible impact on younger generations. Her notable writing style and choice of themes have become the main source of inspiration for many young authors. Anita not only has become famous for her work but also because she has been able to accomplish a number of awards and honors.

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6. She Has Received Numerous Accolades

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In 1978, Anita won the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize. She was later shortlisted for her books In Custody, Clear Light of Day, as well as Fasting, Feasting. Later in 1983, Anita won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

From 2000 to 2014, she won the Alberto Moravia Prize for Literature, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, and Padma Bhushan. She also received the Benson Medal of the Royal Society of Literature in 2003.

7. She Became Famous Through her 9th Novel

Clear Light of Day was published in 1980 and was her ninth novel. It is set in Old Delhi and tells the story of an Indian family that shows the importance of family and forgiveness. The novel has earned Anita a lot of success and readers. In 2022, the book was included on the Big Jubilee Read list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors.

Clear Light of Day is one of her most successful works. It is praised for the writing style and the way characters are revealed through imagery. Through the book, she became a notable author in India.

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8. One of Her Novels was Adapted into a Film

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In 1993, In Custody which is one of Anita’s novels, was adapted by Merchant Ivory Productions. It was an English film of the same name and was directed by Ismail Merchant. It is based on Deven’s love for the Urdu language and Urdu poetry. 

The film won the President of India Gold Medal for Best Picture in 1994. The film stars Shabana Azmi, Shashi Kapoor, and Om Puri. It also won the National Film Award in 1994 and was nominated for the Tokyo Film Festival in Kyoto.

9. She Has Left an Incredible Legacy 

After being in the world of literature for five decades, she has established herself as one of the top female writers in India if not the world. Readers have joined her road to success through her growth in writing styles as well as how she depicts life stories. Anita has been able to use her roots and background as a source of inspiration for her books. Not many writers have done what Anita has been able to do. She is a notable author who has left a legacy for other young female aspiring authors to follow and learn from.

10. She Used Her Talent to Help Others

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In 1993, Anita decided to become a creative writing teacher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has also taught at Smith College, Baruch College, and Mount Holyoke College. By taking on the academic role of a teacher, Anita was able to encourage young aspiring writers to follow in her footsteps. She has been able to inspire young people to grow in their writing profession.

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All in all, Anita has been noted as the face of female Indian authors who have a passion for writing. Not only is she an amazing author, but she is also an amazing teacher and role model.