Musharraf Ali Farooqi shortlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize

Judges describe his book Between Clay and Dust as having ‘mythic resonance’.

HONG KONG:

Pakistani writer Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s book Between Clay and Dust was among the five books shortlisted for Asia’s most prestigious literary prize on Wednesday, with entries across the region from Turkey to Japan.

The shortlist for the $30,000 Man Asian Literary Prize was drawn from a long list of 15 published works, after 108 entries were submitted to a panel of judges led by literary critic and journalist Maya Jaggi.

Professor David Parker, executive director of the Asian Literary Prize, the organising body of the award, hailed what he called a “remarkable” selection of books that brings together regional publishers with larger international houses.

“Several of these writers have been celebrated in their own countries and recognised internationally, but never before have we viewed them collectively as Asian writers,” said Parker.

Set in an unnamed Pakistani city after the partition of India, Between Clay and Dust was described by judges as having “mythic resonance” in following a former champion wrestler and his younger brother.

Born in 1968 in Hyderabad, Farooqi is an author, novelist and translator who divides his time between Toronto and Karachi and has published both adult and children’s fiction.

Silent House, an early work from Turkish writer and 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Orhan Pamuk made the list after appearing in English for the first time.

Turkey and Iran are among the 35 countries eligible for the prize, which is looking for a new sponsor with London-based Man Group ending its funding for the Asian prize after this edition of the event.

The winner of the prize will be announced on March 14. Winning translators are awarded $5,000.

The 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize shortlist:

Between Clay and Dust Musharraf Ali Farooqi (Pakistan)

The Briefcase Hiromi Kawakami (Japan)

Silent House Orhan Pamuk (Turkey)

The Garden of Evening Mists Tan Twan Eng (Malaysia)

Narcopolis Jeet Thayil (India)

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM NEWS DESK)

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2013.