Which book became the first work written in an Indian language to win the International Booker Prize?
- A.Tomb of Sand, from Ret Samadhi by Geetanjali Shree
- B.Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq
- C.The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- D.Godaan by Premchand
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Tomb of Sand, from Ret Samadhi by Geetanjali Shree. The International Booker Prize honours a book translated into English, and the award is shared between the author and the translator. Geetanjali Shree's Hindi novel Ret Samadhi, translated by Daisy Rockwell as Tomb of Sand, won it in 2022, the first book in Hindi and the first in any Indian language to do so.
Option B names a later Indian winner of the prize and so cannot be the first. Option C, The Palace of Illusions, is a retelling of the Mahabharata written in English by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and a book written in English is not eligible for a prize meant for translations. Option D, Godaan, is Premchand's Hindi novel of 1936, long before the International Booker existed in its present form, which began as the Man Booker International Prize in 2005 and took its current shape in 2016. Keep the two prizes apart: the Booker Prize is for fiction written in English and the International Booker for a translated work.
Read the full article: Literary Awards of India: Full List for Exams
Practice Questions
View allThe Vyas Samman, started in 1991 is given for 'outstanding literary work' in ______.
- A.Rajasthani
- B.Hindi
- C.Sanskrit
- D.Konkani
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The Vyas Samman was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation and is given for an outstanding literary work in Hindi published in the previous ten years.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was awarded the 55th Jnanpith Award?
- A.Amitav Ghosh
- B.Raghuveer Chaudhari
- C.Chandrashekhara Kambara
- D.Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri
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The Malayalam poet, known simply as Akkitham, received the 55th Jnanpith Award, given for the year 2019. The Jnanpith is instituted by Bharatiya Jnanpith and is regarded as the highest literary award in India.
Read the full explanation →The Saraswati Samman is given by which of the following organisations?
- A.Sahitya Akademi
- B.Bharatiya Jnanpith
- C.K. K. Birla Foundation
- D.Ministry of Culture
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Read the full explanation →Who was the first recipient of the Saraswati Samman?
- A.Harivansh Rai Bachchan
- B.Ram Vilas Sharma
- C.Vijay Tendulkar
- D.Kaifi Azmi
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Read the full explanation →The Moortidevi Award is given by which organisation?
- A.Sahitya Akademi
- B.Bharatiya Jnanpith
- C.K. K. Birla Foundation
- D.Government of Madhya Pradesh
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The trust that gives the Jnanpith Award instituted the Moortidevi Award in 1983 for a creative work that carries the spirit of Indian philosophy and culture, and the work may be in any of the languages of the Eighth Schedule or in English.
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