Daisy Rockwell

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Daisy Rockwell
Bornc.1969
Western Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater University of Chicago
Known forWriter, painter and artist, and Hindi and Urdu text translator
Family Norman Rockwell (grandfather)
Awards International Booker Prize
2023 Vani Foundation Distinguished Translator Award
2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

Daisy Rockwell (born 1969) [1] is an American Hindi and Urdu language translator and artist. She has translated a number of classic works of Hindi and Urdu literature, including Upendranath Ashk's Falling Walls, Bhisham Sahni's Tamas , and Khadija Mastur's The Women's Courtyard. Her 2021 translation of Geetanjali Shree's Tomb of Sand was the first South Asian book to win the International Booker Prize. Rockwell was awarded the 2023 Vani Foundation Distinguished Translator Award by the Vani Foundation and Teamwork Arts, during the 2023 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival. [2] [3] Tomb of Sand also won her the 2022 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. [4]

Contents

Personal life

Rockwell grew up in western Massachusetts. Both her parents are artists. She is the granddaughter of the painter, illustrator, and author Norman Rockwell, [5] and is an established painter in her own right.

Education

Rockwell has been a student of Hindi, Latin, French, German, and ancient Greek for many years. She received her PhD in South Asian Literature from the University of Chicago, where she studied Hindi literature, translation, and social sciences under A K Ramanujan, Susanne Hoeber Rudolph [6] and Colin P Masica. In 1998, she received a grant to write her PhD dissertation on the Hindi author Upendranath Ashk. [7]

Works

Rockwell has published numerous translations from Hindi and Urdu, including her collection of translations of selected stories by Upendranath Ashk, Hats and Doctors (Penguin, 2013), [8] Ashk's Falling Walls (Penguin, 2015), Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas (Penguin, 2016), and Khadija Mastur’s The Women’s Courtyard (Penguin, 2018). Her translation of Krishna Sobti’s final novel, A Gujarat Here, A Gujarat There (Penguin, 2019) is the first South Asian book to be awarded the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Literary Work in 2020. [9] [10] Her translation of Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand (Tilted Axis Press, 2021) was the first South Asian book to be shortlisted for the International Booker Prize; [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] it went on to win the 2022 edition. [18]

Rockwell is also a writer, painter and artist. [19] [20] She has published a critical biography of Upendranath Ashk (2004, Penguin), [21] and a novel titled Taste (Foxhead Books, 2014). In 2012, she published The Little Book of Terror (Foxhead Books), a volume of paintings and essays on the Global War on Terror. She also paints under the alias Lapata, which means "missing" or "disappeared" in Urdu. [22]

English-Language TitleEnglish-Language Publication YearOriginal-Language AuthorOriginal-Language Title
Hats and Doctors [23] 2013Upendranath AshkN/A
Falling Walls [24] 2015Upendranath AshkGirti Deevarein (Hindi)
Tamas [25] 2016Bhisham SahniTamas (Hindi)
The Women's Courtyard [26] 2018 Khadija Mastur Aangan (Urdu)
In the City a Mirror Wandering [27] 2019Upendranath AshkSheher Mein Ghoomta Aina (Hindi)
A Promised Land [28] 2019Khadija MasturZameen (Urdu)
A Gujarat Here, A Gujarat There [29] 2019 Krishna Sobti Gujarat Pakistan Se Gujarat Hindustan (Hindi)
Fifty-five Pillars, Red Walls [30] 2021 Usha Priyamvada Pachpan Khambe, Laal Deewaarein (Hindi)
Tomb of Sand [31] 2022Geetanjali ShreeRet Samadhi (Hindi)

Related Research Articles

Hindi literature includes literature in the various Hindi languages which have different writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃśa like Awadhi, and Marwari languages. Hindi literature is composed in three broad styles- गद्य (Gadya-prose), पद्य( Padya- poetry) and चम्प्पू In terms of historical development, it is broadly classified into five prominent forms (genres) based on the date of production. They are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Booker Prize</span> International literary award

The International Booker Prize is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Booker Prize was then known, was announced in June 2004. Sponsored by the Man Group, from 2005 until 2015 the award was given every two years to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation. It rewarded one author's "continued creativity, development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage", and was a recognition of the writer's body of work rather than any one title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhisham Sahni</span> Indian writer, playwright and actor

Bhisham Sahni was an Indian writer, playwright in Hindi and an actor, most famous for his novel and television screenplay Tamas, a powerful and passionate account of the Partition of India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for literature in 1998, and Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2002. He was the younger brother of the noted Hindi film actor, Balraj Sahni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geetanjali Shree</span> Indian writer, born 1957

Geetanjali Shree, also known as Geetanjali Pandey, is an Indian Hindi-language novelist and short-story writer based in New Delhi, India. She is the author of several short stories and five novels. Her 2000 novel Mai was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award in 2001, while its English translation by Nita Kumar was published by Niyogi Books in 2017. In 2022, her novel Ret Samadhi (2018), translated into English as Tomb of Sand by Daisy Rockwell, won the International Booker Prize. Aside from fiction, she has written critical works on Premchand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uday Prakash</span> Indian journalist and author (born 1952)

Uday Prakash is a Hindi poet, scholar, journalist, translator and short story writer from India. He has worked as administrator, editor, researcher, and TV director. He writes for major dailies and periodicals as a freelancer. He has also received several awards for his collection of short stories and poems. With Mohan Das he received Sahitya Academi Awards in 2011. He is the first author to return his Sahitya Akademi award on September 3, 2015 against the killing of M. M. Kalburgi that initiated a storm of national protests by writers, artists,scholars and intellectuals.

Upendranath Sharma "Ashk", was an Indian novelist, short story writer and playwright. He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. In 1933 he wrote his second short story collection in Urdu called Aurat Ki Fitrat, the foreword of which was written by Munshi Premchand. Ashk began his literary career writing in Urdu but he switched to Hindi on the advice of Munshi Premchand. He joined All India Radio in 1941 where Krishan Chander, Patras Bokhari and Saadat Hasan Manto were among his colleagues. He settled in Allahabad in the late 1940s. He was the first Hindi dramatist to receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for playwriting in 1965.

Rahman Abbas is an Indian fiction writer and the recipient of the India's highest literary Award Sahitya Akademi Award for his fourth novel Rohzin in 2018. He is also the recipient of the two State Academy Awards for his third and fourth novels respectively i.e. Hide and Seek in the Shadow of God (2011) and the Rohzin in 2017. He is the only Indian novelist whose work in German has received a LitProm Grant funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Swiss-South Cultural Fund. He writes in Urdu and in English. His novels deal with themes of forbidden politics and love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teji Grover</span> Hindi poet and painter (born 1955)

Teji Grover is a Hindi poet, fiction writer, translator and painter. According to poet and critic Ashok Vajpeyi, "Teji Grover shapes her language away from the prevalent idiom of Hindi poetry. In her poetry language acquires a form which is unique..." Her poems have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages.

Neelabh Ashk was an Indian Hindi language poet, journalist, and translator. He published various poetry collections. He is best known for translating the works of notable authors like Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, William Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, and Mikhail Lermontov.

<i>Rohzin</i>

Rohzin is the fourth novel of Rahman Abbas. On this novel he won India's highest literary Award Sahitya Akademi Award in 2018. Published in 2016 by Arshia Publications, Delhi, and launched at the Jashn-e-Rekhta, Delhi on 14 February 2016. Since, then, Rohzin has been widely debated in India, Pakistan, The Middle East, Canada, Switzerland and Germany. The author coins the word- 'Rohzin' to signify the psychological trauma of children who witness the betrayal of their parents/sleeping with someone else. Critics in the Global South think of Rohzin as a literary landmark in Urdu literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalid Jawed</span>

Khalid Jawed is an Indian novelist. Some of his works include Aakhri Dawat, Nematkhana and Maut ki Kitab, critically acclaimed for his unique style and narrative. Currently he is serving as Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Jawed is also considered an expert on popular literature. He is equally popular in India and Pakistan.

Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar is an Indian writer.

JCB Prize for Literature is an Indian literary award established in 2018. It is awarded annually with 2,500,000 (US$31,000) prize to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or translated fiction by an Indian writer. The winners will be announced each November with shortlists in October and longlists in September. It has been called "India's most valuable literature prize". Rana Dasgupta is the founding Literary Director of the JCB Prize. In 2020, Mita Kapur was appointed as the new Literary Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Rai</span> Indian writer and translator

Sara Rai, is a contemporary Indian writer, translator and editor of modern Hindi and Urdu fiction. She lives in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. Rai mainly writes and publishes short stories in Hindi. Written in a reflective prose style, her stories explore the individual complexities in the lives of ordinary people and outsiders in contemporary India.

<i>Aangan</i> (novel) Urdu novel by Khadija Mastoor

Aangan, alternatively spelled Angan, is a period novel by Pakistani novelist and short story writer Khadija Mastoor. Published in 1962, it is hailed as a masterpiece of Urdu literature. It won Mastoor the 1963 Adamjee Literary Award for Urdu prose and has been translated into 13 languages. English translations of the novel by Daisy Rockwell titled Inner Courtyard and The Women's Courtyard were published in 2000 and 2018, respectively. A Pakistani TV series adaptation of the novel starring Mawra Hocane, Ahad Raza Mir, Ahsan Khan and Sajal Aly was aired on Hum TV from 2018 to 2019. Renewed interest in the novel caused it to become the number one bestseller in the country in 2019.

<i>Zameen</i> (novel) Urdu novel by Khadija Mastoor

Zameen, alternatively spelled Zamin, is an Urdu novel by Pakistani novelist and short story writer Khadija Mastoor. The novel was published posthumously by Idara-e-Farogh-e-Urdu in 1983. Daisy Rockwell, PhD, translated it into English and released it in July 2019 under the title A Promised Land. Zameen depicts the economic and political upheaval that entailed the partition of British India. It begins at the final setting of Mastoor's first novel Aangan – the Walton refugee camp in Lahore. Consequently, it is sometimes considered an extension of Aangan, however, Rockwell has clarified that it is not a narrative sequel, rather a philosophical and thematic follow-up. It is considered a political allegory and a women-centric historical account of Pakistan's independence.

<i>Song of the Soil</i> 2018 novel by Chuden Kabimo

Song of the Soil is a 2019 Nepali novel by Chuden Kabimo. The novel is based on the Gorkhaland movement revolution that took place during 1980s in the northern part of West Bengal. The Nepali edition of the novel was initially published in 2019 by FinePrint Publication in Nepal and Sambodhan Publication in India.

Tilted Axis Press is a non-profit British publishing house specializing in the publication of contemporary Asian literature. Founded by Deborah Smith in 2015 following the success of her translation of Han Kang's The Vegetarian, the organization has gone on to publish 26 books and several chapbooks. Tilted Axis became known as the original translator and English language publisher of Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri Yu, which went on to receive critical acclaim as both a book and translation. Their profile rose higher in 2022, when Tomb of Sand, written by Geetanjali Shree and translated by Daisy Rockwell, won the International Booker Prize, marking the first novel written in Hindi to take the award.

<i>Tomb of Sand</i> 2018 Hindi novel by Geetanjali Shree

Tomb of Sand is a 2018 Hindi-language novel by Indian author Geetanjali Shree. It was translated into English by U.S. translator Daisy Rockwell. In 2022, the book became the first novel translated from an Indian language to win the International Booker Prize.

References

  1. "Daisy Rockwell". The Booker Prizes. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  2. "'Tomb of Sand' translator Daisy Rockwell gets 2023 Vani Foundation Distinguished Translator Award". Scroll.in. January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  3. "Daisy Rockwell to receive Vani Foundation Distinguished Translator Award". Deccan Chronicle. January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  4. Scroll Staff (November 25, 2022). "Geetanjali Shree's 'Tomb of Sand' shares 2022 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation with 'Osebol'". Scroll.in. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  5. "'It's the best way to live!': International Booker winners Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell". TheGuardian.com . May 27, 2022.
  6. "An Interview with Daisy Rockwell, Author, Artist and a Hindi-Urdu Translator | Jaya's blog" . Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  7. Joshi, Sonam. ""Booker nod is a big win. It will create awareness about Hindi translations," say Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. Gupta, Trisha (May 13, 2018). "Meet the American who translates some of India's finest Hindi writers into English". Scroll.in. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  9. "Daisy Rockwell – Words are Bridges". Jaipur Literature festival. September 17, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  10. "Daisy Rockwell". Tilted Axis Press. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  11. "Tomb of Sand | Geetanjali Shree: 'Tomb of Sand' writes history – Geetanjali Shree's translation is 1st Hindi novel in Booker prize longlist". The Economic Times. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  12. "International Booker prize announces longlist 'tracing ring around the world'". the Guardian. March 10, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  13. Marshall, Alex (April 7, 2022). "Women Dominate Shortlist for International Booker Prize". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  14. "Geetanjali Shree's 'Tomb of Sand' first Hindi novel on International Booker shortlist". ThePrint. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  15. "Discover the longlist: Daisy Rockwell, 'I think of the translator and the author as ballroom dancers' | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  16. Mani Jha, Aditya (April 8, 2022). "Daisy Rockwell: Meet the translator of the first Hindi novel to be nominated for the Booker Prize". India Today. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  17. Rockwell, Daisy (March 13, 2022). "How Daisy Rockwell translated the first Hindi novel to be on the Booker International longlist". Scroll.in. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  18. "Geetanjali Shree is first Indian winner of International Booker Prize". BBC. May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  19. Jones, Alexina. "Daisy Rockwell". Bennington Museum | Grandma Moses | Vermont History and Art. Retrieved April 18, 2022. Archived 2023-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  20. Rockwell, Daisy (July 8, 2016). "Why Daisy Rockwell is painting portraits of Black women who committed suicide in US jails". Scroll.in. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  21. "Daisy Rockwell". Penguin Random House India. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  22. "Daisy Rockwell – JLF Colorado". JLF. September 17, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  23. Ashk, Upendranath Ashk (2013). Hats and Doctors. Translated by Daisy Rockwell (translation ed.). New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   9780143417187.
  24. Ashk, Upendranath (2015). Falling Walls. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   9780143423690.
  25. Sahni, Bhisham (2016). Tamas. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   978-0143063681.
  26. Mastur, Khadija (2018). The Women's Courtyard. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   978-0-670-09136-2.
  27. Ashk, Upendranath (2019). In the City a Mirror Wandering. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   9780143425991.
  28. Mastur, Khadija (2019). A Promised Land. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   9789353055868.
  29. Sobti, Krishna (2019). A Gujarat Here, A Gujarat There. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   9780143453482.
  30. Priyamvada, Usha (2021). Fifty-five Pillars, Red Walls. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Speaking Tiger. ISBN   978-8194490821.
  31. Shree, Geetanjali (2022). Tomb of Sand. Translated by Daisy Rockwell. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India. ISBN   978-0143448471.