This week, our editors are introducing a generous new anthology that illuminates India’s capital, the winners of prestigious Swedish literary awards, and a feature of Hong Kong poets. Read on to find out more.
Zohra Salih, Editor at Large, reporting from India
It has been a harrowing week in this part of the world. We are still, very cautiously, coming to terms with the ceasefire that was finally declared to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, the consequences of which have been disproportionately and brutally borne by the residents of occupied Kashmir (one of the most militarized zones in the world). Things are now supposedly returning to ‘normal’, yet the fact that war was blatantly invoked, justified, and celebrated by fellow citizens has created an atmosphere of unease around writing about India in its aftermath, to say the least.
If he were alive today, one person would have found the words to make something meaningful and urgent amidst this fog of madness: Saadat Hasan Manto. Born in India and forced to make a second life in the newly formed Pakistan, the fiery writer and chronicler of Bombay was considered prophetic for his stories that anticipated with stark-eyed clarity the savagery awaiting the two nations post-Partition, a decision he vehemently opposed. May 11 is the 113th anniversary of his birth, and there is no better time to return to his short story, ‘Toba Tek Singh’, or his collection Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition, than now. Those in Mumbai have also been able to experience his stories—many of them excluded from the usual anthologies—as part of an audio theatre piece performed by Katha Khana at the iconic Prithvi theatre on May 13.
I would also be remiss to not mention The World With Its Mouth Open by another journalist turned author, Zahid Rafiq, which came out in December last year. Rafiq’s debut short story collection vividly and humanely renders the lives of the people of Kashmir as they go on with what has come to be called ordinary life, marked by precarity. There is a quietness to the writing that allows Rafiq to enter your mind and transport it to the valley, blocking out all the noise that obscures its image in the mainstream imagination. Needless to say, it is essential reading for the times we are living in today.
Prior to the distressing events of this week, I was excited by a book launch that took place in the last week of April. Somewhere at the back of my mind, a question still lingers: how to describe Delhi, my chosen city, more palimpsest than place, the city that belongs to no one though many empires have claimed and built upon it, the city that’s been a refuge for countless survivors of Partition while it continues to persecute minorities seeking asylum, the city marked by violence and ruins, grand monuments and ghostly lanes, the city I’m currently miles and miles away from, and the one that’s simultaneously the hardest and easiest to talk about? Especially in addressing someone who is not from India, the books that could serve as a starting point are City of Djinns by William Dalrymple, Delhi is Not Far by Khushwant Singh, and—if one is really looking to know a more melancholic, haunting, bygone Delhi as well—Twilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali. But I always insist on adding that there is even more to Delhi than what can be gleaned from this. You can only understand it by living there.
This is why a collection like Basti and Darbar Delhi-New Delhi: A City in Stories, edited by renowned author, translator, historian, and critic Rakshanda Jalil, made me quite hopeful. Featuring stalwart writers such as Khushwant Singh, Rashid Jahan, Gulzar, Namita Gokhale, Navtej Sarna, Kartar Singh Duggal, Keki Daruwalla, Krishna Sobti, M. Mukundan, Manjula Padmanabhan, and more, the stories are all testaments to the paradox that is Delhi—as well as the paradox of loving it despite all that makes it unbearable. It captures the duality of Delhi, its ‘bruised but beating heart’. To anyone who puzzles over why we find it so difficult to hate this city with all its contradictions, a clue might be found through reading this intimate account by those who’ve chosen to call it home.
I am reminded of a conversation I shared with a friend on loving Delhi when we both moved out of the city. ‘We have to fight to make a life here,’ he said. ‘But then, if you’re lucky, the city becomes your friend. And it’s the most beautiful companion to have.’
Finally, to quote Jalil herself on the matter: ‘My heart rests in Delhi.’ Mine does too.
Eva Wissting, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Sweden
Earlier this month, Marion Brunet—a French author of young adult and literary fiction—was announced as the recipient of this year’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Each year since 2003, this award seeks to highlight the importance of reading for current and future generations by honoring a person or an organization for their contribution to children’s and young adult literature. It is a global award and the largest of its kind, with a prize of SEK 5,000,000 ($513,000). The ceremony will be held on June 9 at Konserthuset in Stockholm.
The Swedish governmant founded the award after the passing of globally renowned children’s book author Astrid Lindgren, who created widely loved characters like Pippi Longstocking; Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter; and Karlsson on the Roof, among many others. Lindgren was both an innovator of children’s literature and an unwavering humanist who often spoke up for the children’s rights in society, and this award in her name has had the positive effect of increased translations—and thereby granting young readers greater access to a wider range of high-quality literature.
Marion Brunet has previously received over thirty prizes for her young adult novels, including the UNICEF Prize for Youth Literature in 2017. She is best known to English language readers for the noir books Summer of Reckoning (2020) and the sequel Vanda (2022), both translated into the English by Katherine Gregor, and published by Bitter Lemon Press. Hopefully, more of her titles will soon be translated and reach more readers, both in English and other languages.
Another highly acclaimed Swedish writer, with her own literary award, is modernist novelist Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940). She was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909, and five years later, she became the first female member of the Swedish Academy. In 1984, the Selma Lagerlöf Literature Prize was created, intended to reward outstanding writers in the spirit of its namesake, with a prize of SEK 100,000. The recipient of the 2025 Selma Lagerlöf Literature Prize was announced last week: the Swedish picture book artist Eva Lindström—who was also awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in three years ago. The award ceremony will be held on August 9 at the local library in Lagerlöf’s hometown, Sunne.
Charlie Ng, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Hong Kong
Post COVID, Hong Kong literature continues to evolve its global reach, characterized by international recognition and the active participation of Hong Kong writers in overseas events. The Baifang Schell Book Prize, managed by China Books Review, recently unveiled its shortlists in various categories, including the Award for Outstanding Translated Literature from Chinese Language. Among the selected works is Xi Xi’s Mourning a Breast, translated by the US-based author and translator Jennifer Feeley. This title joins other notable Chinese and Taiwanese novels, including Hai Fan’s Delicious Hunger, Lin Yi-han’s Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise, Mai Jia’s The Colonel and the Eunuch, and Yang Shuang-Zi’s Taiwan Travelogue. The winner is set to be announced in May.
In an interview with the Hong Kong poet Jennifer Wong in The Hong Konger on April 21, Jennifer Feeley discussed the nuances of translating contemporary Hong Kong literature. Feeley, known for her award-winning translations of Xi Xi, highlighted both the challenges and joys of her work, noting the limited recognition and resources for Hong Kong literature compared to other Sinophone regions, as well as the need for cultural context among readers. Feeley also emphasized the unique linguistic elements of translating Hong Kong works, which she has embraced as “both a pleasure and a learning opportunity.” For aspiring translators, Feeley recommended resources like the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) and the British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT), advising them to secure copyright authorization, respect existing translator-author relationships, and start with smaller projects. For those interested in reading more, Feeley has also spoken with Asymptote’s Michelle Chan Schmidt regarding her work with the Hong Kong author Lau Yee-Wa.
In other news, Birkbeck, University of London, hosted “An Evening of Hong Kong Anglophone Poetry” on May 9, featuring UK-based Hong Kong poets Eric Yip and Jennifer Wong, who explored the evolution of Hong Kong poetry in English from the colonial period to the present. Meanwhile, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal is currently accepting submissions for its new poetry section, “En Route.” The journal welcomes diverse poems, including translations into English from Asian languages. Eric Yip has been serving as the poetry editor for the journal since November 2024.
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