Jahnavi Barua is an Indian author, who has written several novels and a collection of short fiction that has been widely anthologized like Next Door (2008), Rebirth (2010), and her third book Undertow (2020). Her books are on the syllabi of many universities.
I would like to be seen as merely a writer; one with roots in Assam and Bangalore, if geography has to be brought in.”
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Jahnavi Barua belongs to Assam and now lives in Bangalore. Jahnavi Barua has obtained her MBBS degree from Gauhati Medical College. Later she studied creative writing in the United Kingdom.
Family
Parents & Siblings
Jahnavi Barua’s grandparents
Jahnavi Barua’s parents
Husband & Children
On Tuesday, June 01, 1993 Jahnavi Barua got married to Baptu and has a son.
Jahnavi Barua’s husband and son
Jahnavi Barua’s son
Career
Next Door (2008)
In this book the author has used themes like Innocent desires, Assamese culture, and furtive longings. The plot of the short stories in this book happens to be remote areas of Assam.
Rebirth (2010)
The book unfolds a story about a woman, Kaberi, who belongs to Assam, from a humble background, and have a tumultuous arranged marriage to a rich man in Bangalore. This book is a portrayl of sensitive bond between a mother and her unborn child. In an interview she said,
‘Rebirth’ is not autobiographical. Kaberi and I come from the same place – Assam – and we share an interest in flowers, trees – and flowering trees! – and in forests and what lives in them, but our paths diverge there. Kaberi’s story, her journey, is her own. It is hard to say exactly where I got the idea for ‘Rebirth’ from, but it slipped insidiously into my mind as I looked at women around me – at their struggles, dreams and aspirations.”
Undertow (2020)
The story the story touches various themes like home, family, and belongingness. Undertow is a story of twenty-five year old girl named Loya who goes on a journey to discover herself. Barua has beautifully shown a mother-daughter equations in her story. In an interview, when asked about the inspiration for her third book, she said,
The themes of home and homecoming and also of identity and finding one’s own have always been close to me. This prompted me to explore these themes in Undertow. By home and identity, I don’t mean just the obvious ones of place or the region you belong to, but also the more personal ones of who you are as a person, what you stand for and where it is that you feel accepted and thus, at home. Another area of interest to me has always been the family and the complexities of this unique entity. In Undertow, I have woven this thread in along with Loya’s search for home.”
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Her third book Undertow, was longlisted for the JCB Prize 2020 and the BLF Atta Galatta Book Prize 2020.
- Rebirth (2010) was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize (2011) and the Commonwealth Book Prize (2012).
- (2009) Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, longlist.
- (2006) Short Fiction contest hosted by Unisun Publishers (Second prize, Children’s fiction category).
- (2005) Short Fiction contest hosted by Unisun Publishers
- Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing in (2006)
- Jahnavi Barua won the AutHer Award (2021) in Best Author Fiction category for Undertow.
Facts/Trivia
- The river Brahmaputra has always been prominent in her story plots. In an interview, when asked about her relationship with the river, she said,
The Brahmaputra runs through Guwahati, indeed through all of Assam, and thus runs through my life too. As a child, I lived on a hillock overlooking it and its majestic beauty found a permanent place in my heart and soul.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn