'Jasmine Days', 'Poonachi' shortlisted for JCB Prize for Literature

Two translated works -- "Jasmine Days" and "Poonachi" have made it to the inaugural JCB Prize for Literature shortlist announced Wednesday.

While "Jasmine Days" (Juggernaut Books) by Benyamin has been translated from Malayalam to English by Shahnaz Habib, "Poonachi" (Westland Publications), originally penned in Tamil by Perumal Murugan, has been translated by N Kalyan Raman.

The two works are among the five books that made the cut from a long list of 10 books announced last month.

"Through the life of a young protagonist, "Jasmine Days" describes the lives of foreign workers in a Middle East country on the brink of a revolution.

"Beautifully written and translated, this compassionate and morally complex novel confronts some of the difficult questions of our times," the jury said.

Describing "Poonachi" as "funny and warm", it noted that the book forced its readers to look at themselves and their contribution to an "unequal world".

"Perumal Murugan is a master story-teller who reflects profoundly on our transactional society and its inequities and struggles. Through the character of the lonely goat, he has written a powerful modern fable," the jury added.

The jury comprised of film director Deepa Mehta, entrepreneur and scholar Rohan Murthy, astrophysicist and writer Priyamvada Natarajan, novelist Vivek Shanbhag, and author and translator Arshia Sattar.

Other books featured in the list include "Half the Night is Gone" (Juggernaut Books) by Amitabha Bagchi, "All the Lives We Never Lived" (Hachette Book Publishing) by Anuradha Roy, and "Latitudes of Longing" (HarperCollins Publishers India) by Shubhangi Swarup".

"The job of literature is to supply a language for reality, and these books are all exquisite in their description of the worlds – often very turbulent worlds

– we inhabit.

"But literature is also a record of the sensitivity of the observer – and these novels are a testament to the beauty and richness of human beings' inner lives," Shanbhag said.

The prize, which carries a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh, the richest literary award in the country, was established earlier this year with the aim of enhancing the prestige of literary achievement in India and creating greater visibility for contemporary Indian writing.

The final prize will be announced on October 24. In case the winning work is a translation, the translator will be awarded an additional Rs 5 lakh.

(With inputs from agencies.)