Tamil writer Perumal Murugan wins 2023 JCB Literary Prize for Fire Bird

Journalist and filmmaker Swati Thiyagarajan, who was also part of the jury, called the novel “a powerful evocative story of an ordinary life”. “For readers in English, and not from rural Tamil Nadu, it’s an immersion into a world, a time, a place that will enrich your understanding of a part of our country in a way that you will carry it with you long after you turn the last page,” said Thiyagarajan.

Author Kavery Nambisan said the novel is a simple yet eloquent portrayal of a life that is already fading from our collective memory, and needs to be preserved.

The award was announced virtually by Lord Bamford, Chairman of JCB Group, and awarded in person by Deepak Shetty, CEO and Managing Director, JCB India Limited. The JCB Literary Prize award carries Rs 25 lakh to the author and an additional Rs 10 lakh to the translator.

Murugan has written 12 novels, six collections of short stories, six anthologies of poetry, and many non-fiction books. Ten of his novels have been translated into English, which include ‘Seasons of the Palm’, ‘Current Show’ and ‘One Part Woman’.

The other books in the short list included ‘The Secret of More’ (Aleph Book Company) by Tejaswini Apte-Rahm, ‘The Nemesis’ (Westland Books) by Manoranjan Byapari, ‘Mansur’ (Pan Macmillan India) by Vikramajit Ram and ‘I Named my Sister Silence’ (Westland Books) by Manoj Rupda.