Hospital is a novel by Sanya Rushdi. Originally published in Bengali in 2019, it was translated into English by Arunava Sinha and published in Australia by Giramondo Publishing in 2023. The book is a work of autofiction that describes Rushdi's experiences of schizophrenia.[1] It was shortlisted for the 2024 Miles Franklin Literary Award and the 2024 Stella Prize.
Hospital is based on Sanya Rushdi's own experiences of psychosis, which began with an initial episode in 2009. She began writing the novel two months after she was released from hospital following a third episode of psychosis in 2015.[2]
The novel was originally published in 2019 in Bengali by Bohiprokash.[3] It was translated into English by Arunava Sinha and was published in Australia by Giramondo Publishing in June 2023 ( ISBN9781922725455).[4]
Reception
The novel received generally positive reviews. Sonya Nair wrote in Meanjin that the book "pushes back against the systematic dehumanisation of the mentally ill" and that Rushdi "successfully plays with, and in the process, ruptures societal definitions of what constitutes a mental illness".[1] In ABC News, Cher Tan wrote that the book was "a provocation" that questions the psychiatric system and the institutionalisation of the mentally ill.[5]
Reviewers also praised the quality of Rushdi's writing and of Sinha's translation. Julianne Lamond wrote in The Conversation that the book was "written in an understated tone that does not sensationalise the experiences it portrays".[6] In the Asian Review of Books, Areeb Ahmad wrote that "even without linguistic pyrotechnics, Hospital is very affecting in how it explores madness and sanity".[7] In Westerly, Ellie Fisher reserved particular praise for Sinha's translation, writing that "his translation, combined with the strength of her prose, delivers a novel-in-translation which is both translucent and incisive".[8] A review in The Daily Star wrote that Sinha's translation left "a potent silhouette of the original behind an English version that masterfully stands on its own".[3]
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