The Birdcage Archives

Wednesday 25 October 2023

Ananda Devi Wins the 2024 Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Hello Gentle Reader,

The Neustadt International Prize for Literature for 2024 has been awarded to the Mauritian Ananda Devi. Previous winner of the biennial award include:

Francis Ponge (1974)
Czesław Miłosz (1978)
Octavio Paz (1982)
Tomas Transmtromer (1990)
Kamau Brathwaite (1994)
Assia Djebar (1996)
Mia Couto (2014)
Dubravka Ugrešić (2016)
Ismail Kadare (2020)
Boubacar Boris Diop (2022)

Often referred to as the ‘American Nobel,’ the biennial award has a reputation for recognizing and awarding great writers from across the globe who write in a diverse language. Winners of the award include giants of international reputation (as listed above), while nominees include other contemporary classic writers as: Doris Lessing, Wole Soyinka, Mavis Gallant, Carlos Fuentes, Can Xue, and Nirmal Verma. The Neustadt International Prize for Literature shares a similar literary perspective with the Nobel Prize in Literature, an eye for global recognition and appreciation of literary merit, though some may point out that the Neustadt applies a more global perspective with greater accuracy.

Ananda Devi is considered one of the most important French language writers working today, specially from abroad. Devi’s bibliography includes novels, poetry, short story, and essays, though only a fraction has been translated into English so far. The novel “Eve out of Her Ruins,” is given significant praise and is noted as the best introductory point for Devi’s work. The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is the first big name international award that Ananda Devi has won, which may mean an increase interest in her work and further translations, but this is also a significant moment in Devi’s career, where international acclaim is now being bestowed upon her, though Ananda Devi has long been revered in French reading circles.

Congratulations to Annada Devi, The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is certainly a confirmation that your work is renowned for its penetrating poetic insight, unflinching social criticism and overview, and an expert surveyor of the uniquely female perspective of the human condition.

Thank you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read

M. Mary

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