Anjali Joseph | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 46–47) Mumbai, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge University of East Anglia |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, journalist, teacher |
| Awards | Desmond Elliott Prize, Betty Trask Prize |
Anjali Joseph (born 1978) is an Indian novelist. Her first novel,Saraswati Park (2010), earned her several awards, including theBetty Trask Prize andDesmond Elliott Prize. Her second novel,Another Country, was released in 2012. In 2010, she was listed byThe Telegraph as one of the 20 best writers under the age of 40.[1] Her third novel,[2]The Living (2016), was shortlisted for theDSC Prize and is a tender, lyrical and often funny novel which shines a light on everyday life. Her fourth novel,Keeping in Touch, was published in India in 2021 by Context and in the UK in 2022 byScribe.
Anjali Joseph was born inMumbai, India, in 1978.[3]Her father, a research scientist, is aMalayali and her mother isBengali-Gujrati.[4] When she was seven years old, her family relocated to England.[3] Joseph lives inOxford inOxfordshire, and is married to the philosopherSimon Glendinning.
Joseph studied English atTrinity College, Cambridge, after which she taught French and English in London and Paris, respectively. She subsequently trained to be achartered accountant, but did not complete her certification. She then worked as a journalist withThe Times of India in Mumbai.[5] Joseph completed an MA in creative writing at theUniversity of East Anglia, after which she published her first novel,Saraswati Park, in 2010.[6]
Saraswati Park told the story of Mohan Karekar, a pensive letter-writer, whose monotonous life undergoes several changes after his gay 19-year-old nephew moves in with him.Sameer Rahim ofThe Telegraph wrote in his review that Joseph's writing was "well crafted and the images, when they succeed, feel spot-on".[7] It was awarded theBetty Trask Prize in 2011.[8] The novel also won theDesmond Elliott Prize and Vodafone Crossword Book Award for Fiction,[9][10] and was shortlisted forThe Hindu Literary Prize in 2010.[11]
Joseph's second book,Another Country, was released in 2012. The novel tells the story of Leela Ghosh, a middle-class Bengali girl dealing with friendship, love and betrayal as she travels through Paris, London and Mumbai. Reviewing the book forThe Guardian, Joanna Kavenna wrote that the book was "readable and entertaining" and particularly praised the depiction of Indian urban middle-class youth.[12] The novel was longlisted for the 2012Man Asian Literary Prize.[13]
The Living, Joseph's third book was released in 2016 and shortlisted for theDSC Prize for South Asian Literature.[14]The Living tells the story of two lives: Claire, a young single mother working in one of England's last remaining shoe factories, and Arun, a recovered alcoholic and now a grandfather, who makes hand-sewnKolhapuri chappals.Amit Chaudhuri's review of the book inThe Guardian describedThe Living as "an extraordinary portrait of two lives that moves between Norwich and smalltown India poses fundamental questions about existence."[15]Arifa Akbar reviewed the book forThe Independent, saying that out of all Joseph's novels this is the "most satisfying and accomplished, speaking its wisdom in whispers".[16]
Joseph's fourth novel,Keeping in Touch, published first in India in 2021, is a story of dysfunctional love, and a lightbulb with unusual properties.
She was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Literature in 2024.[17]
