Anita Desai

 

Born Jun. 24 1937

 

 

                  Anita Desai is an Indian children’s author, novelist and short story writer. Desai is best known for her ability to portray her characters in sensitive manner that exposes their inner feelings through visual images in her texts.

 

 

Early Life

                  Anita Desai was born on June 24, 1937. She was born in Mussoorie, India to a German mother and Bengali father. Desai grew up being able to speak German, Urdu, Hindi, and English. English became her literary language due to the fact that she learned how to speak and write it in primary school. She attended Queen Mary’s Higher Secondary School in Delhi. She graduated in English literature from the University of Delhi (also known as Miranda House). Soon after she graduated from Delhi University, she married Ashvin Desai (a director of computer software firm and an author of books called Between Eternities: Ideas on Life and The Cosmos).

 

 

Career

                  Desai published her debut novel “Cry, The Peacock” in 1963. After her first novel, she continued writing numerous pieces. She went on to publish books such as “Bye- Bye Blackbird”, “Where Shall We Go This Summer?”, “Fire on the Mountain” and many others. Most of books were influenced by her personal experiences like her childhood and adulthood. She often wrote about the lives of middle class Indian women and their complicated relationships. She also talked about racial issues and the death of many Indian Traditions. She has won many awards, such as the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, Neil Gunn Prize, Booker Prize (Short-listed), and countless others. Her book “The Custody” was so well received that it was adapted to a movie in 1993. That same year, she began teaching at MIT as a creative writing teacher.