Anita Nair

Anita Nair (born 26 January 1966) is an Indian English-language writer.

Early life

Nair was born in Shornur in Palakkad district of Kerala.^[1][2] Nair was educated in Chennai (Madras) before returning to Kerala, where she gained a BA in English Language and Literature.^[3] She lives in Bangalore with her husband, Harish^[4] and a son.^[5]

Career

Nair was working as the creative director of an advertising agency in Bangalore when she wrote her first book, a collection of short stories called Satyr of the Subway, which she sold to Har-Anand Press. The book won her a fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Nair's second book was published by Penguin India, and was the first book by an Indian author to be published by Picador USA. A bestselling author of fiction and poetry, Nair's novels The Better Man and Ladies Coupe have been translated into 21 languages. Among Nair's early commercial works were pieces she penned in the late 90's for The Bangalore Monthly magazine (now called "080" Magazine), published by Explocity in a column titled 'The Economical Epicurean'.^[6][7]

Thereafter followed Nair's novel The Better Man (2000) which also has been published in Europe and the United States. In 2002, appeared the collection of poems Malabar Mind, and in 2003 Where the Rain is Born - Writings about Kerala which she has edited. Anita Nair's second novel Ladies Coupé from 2001, has turned out to be an even greater success than the first both among critics and readers in so far 15 countries outside India: from USA to Turkey, from Poland to Portugal.

In 2002, "Ladies Coupé" was elected as one of the five best in India. The novel is about women's conditions in a male dominated society, told with great insight, solidarity and humour.^[7] Ladies Coupe (2001) was rated as one of 2002's top five books of the year and was translated into more than twenty-five languages around the world.

Nair has also written The Puffin Book of Myths and Legends (2004), a children's book on myths and legends. Nair has also edited Where the Rain is Born (2003). Nair's writings about Kerala and her poetry has been included in The Poetry India Collection and a British Council Poetry Workshop Anthology. Her poems appeared in many prestigious poetry anthologies like The Dance of the Peacock: An Anthology of English Poetry from India,^[8] featuring 151 Indian English poets, edited by Vivekanand Jha and published by Hidden Brook Press,^[9] Canada.

Nair has also written a few other books, such as Mistress (2003), Adventures of Nonu, the Skating Squirrel (2006), Living Next Door to Alise (2007) and Magical Indian Myths (2008). Nair's works also include many travelogues.^[10] With the play Nine Faces of Being, best-selling author Anita Nair has become a playwright. The story, is adapted from Nair’s book Mistress^[11]Her book Cut Like Wound (2012) introduced the fictional character Inspector Gowda. The second book in the series Chain of Custody was published in 2015. Other works by Nair include The Lilac House (2012) and Alphabet Soup for Lovers (2016).

Her sixth novel Idris: Keeper of The Light (2014) is a historical and geographical novel about a Somalian trader who visited Malabar in 1659 AD.^[12]

Awards & Recognitions

• Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in May 2012 for her contribution to Literature and Culture
• Arch of Excellence Award by the All India Achievers’ Conference, New Delhi for Literature.
• Nair was named a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Beyond Margins Award in the U.S.A.^[13]
• Nair was nominated a finalist for LiBeraturpreis 2007 in Germany.^[13]
• Mistress was on the long list for the Orange prize for fiction for 2008.^[14]
• FLO FICCI Women Achievers Award in 2008 for Literature^[14]
• Montblanc honored her in 2009 with the launch of the Special Edition writing instrument in India; for her novel contribution to literature, enforcing cross cultural endeavors and enlightening experiences that have transcended an inexhaustible diversity of forms - barriers of language, cultures and identities.^[15]
• Idris Keeper Of The Light was shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize in 2014^[16]
• Global ambassador for Women for Expo May 2015

Bibliography^[17]

1997

Satyr of the Subway & Eleven Other Stories

2000

The Better Man

2001

Ladies Coupé

2002

Malabar Mind - Poetry

2003

Where the Rain is Born - Writings about Kerala (Editor)

2004

Puffin Book of World Myths and Legends

2005

Mistress

2006

Adventures of Nonu, the Skating Squirrel

2007

Living Next Door To Alise

2008

Magical Indian Myths

Goodnight & God Bless

2010

Lessons In Forgetting

2011

Malabar Mind

Chemmeen (Translator)

2012

Cut Like Wound – Literary noir

2014

Idris – Historical novel

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anita Nair.

• Official site
• Anita's Attic - A Creative Writing Mentorship program by Anita Nair