Two Indian-origin female authors are among sixteen other writers named on the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 longlist, announced in March, 2023 by the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity that runs the awards. The winner will be announced on June 14, 2023.
British writer of Indian descent, Sheena Patel was named for her debut novel, ‘I’m a Fan’, which is a story of an unnamed narrator’s involvement in a seemingly unequal romantic relationship. "With a clear and unforgiving eye, Sheena Patel makes startling connections between power struggles at the heart of human relationships to those in the wider world, offering a devastating critique of social media, access and patriarchal systems," the Trust said about the book.
A London resident, Patel is a writer and assistant director for film and TV who was born and raised in North West London, according to her profile. In 2022, she was chosen as one of the Observer’s Top 10 best debut novelists.
Indian American author Parini Shroff's debut novel ‘The Bandit Queens’ was selected for the award. Set in India, the story revolves around a young woman who finds false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful—until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands.
Shroff graduated from Loyola Law School and holds an MFA from the University of Texas, Austin. An attorney by profession, her work has appeared in journals such as Southern Humanities Review, Salamander and MacGuffin among others.
Now in its twenty-eighth year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction shines a spotlight on outstanding, ambitious, original fiction written in English by women from anywhere in the world.
