Geetanjali Shree


Geetanjali Shree गीतांजलि श्री is a Hindi novelist and short story writer based in New Delhi, India. She is the author of several short stories and five novels. Her novel Mai was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award in 2001. She has also written a critical work on Premchand.

Personal life

Geetanjali was brought up in various towns of Uttar Pradesh, as her father was a Civil Servant. She claims that it is this upbringing in UP, along with the lack of children's books in English that gave her a rich connection to Hindi.

Works

Her first story, "Bel Patra" was published in the literary magazine Hans and was followed by a collection of short stories Anugoonj
The English translation of her novel Mai catapulted her into fame. The novel is about three generations of women and the men around them, in a North Indian middle-class family. Mai has been translated into several languages, including Serbian and Korean. It has also been translated into English by Nita Kumar, who was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for the translation, and into Urdu by Bashir Unwan with preface by Intizar Hussain. Other languages include French by Annie Montaut, and German by Reinhold Schein.
Her second novel Hamara Shahar Us Baras is set loosely after the incidents of Babri Masjid demolition.
Her fourth novel, Khālī jagah, has been translated into English, French, and German.
Her fifth and latest novel, Ret Samadhi, leaves readers wonderstruck with its sweeping imagination and the sheer power of language, unprecedented and uninhibited. It has been translated into English and French.

Academic publications

Geetanjali Shree is the recipient of the Indu Sharma Katha Samman award and has been a fellow of Ministry of Culture, India, and Japan Foundation. She also participates in theater and works with Vivadi, a theater group comprising writers, artists, dancers, and painters.