Priya Basil
Encyclopedia
Priya Basil is a British author.
Her first novel, Ishq and Mushq, was published in 2007. Ishq and Mushq is a family saga which illuminates the problem of cultural identity for immigrants over several generations, and raises questions of memory, exile and self-rediscovery. Ishq and Mushq came second in the World Book Day "Book to Talk About 2008" competition. The novel was also short-listed for a Commonwealth Writers' Prize
, and long-listed for the Dylan Thomas Prize
and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
. Ishq and Mushq was translated into Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, and Serbian. Ishq and Mushq was currently translated into Italian: Profumo Di Spezie Proibite
Her second novel, The Obscure Logic of the Heart, was published in June 2010. The Obscure Logic of the Heart expands the theme of immigration. It tells the love story between the Muslim Lina and the liberal Kenyan architecture student, Anil. Both are second-generation immigrants living in London. Due to their different backgrounds, Lina's relationship is in stark opposition to her parents' wishes, forcing her to make a choice between her family and her great love. The characters are positioned in the maelstrom of socio-political problems. The Obscure Logic of the Heart is currently translated into Italian and German.
Priya's short novel Strangers on the 16:02 is published on the 17th February 2011 as a Quick Read. It’s a hot crowded train. Helen and Kerm are jammed together in a crowded carriage. Then noisy school kids fill the train—and three of them are about to cause a whole heap of trouble. Catching a train? Read Strangers on the 16.02 and you will never feel the same way about your fellow passengers again.
The Quick Reads Initiative
publishes once a year a series of 10 short books by bestselling authors and celebrities. With no more than 128 pages, they are designed to encourage adults who do not read or find reading tough to discover the joy of books. They were launched in the UK and Ireland by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair
on World Book Day 2006. Since then, over 60 titles have been published, over 3 million copies have been sold and 2 million copies have been loaned through libraries.
, returning to the UK to study English Literature at the University of Bristol
. She had a career in advertising before becoming a full time
writer.
In 2010 Priya, and the journalist Matthias Fredrich-Auf der Horst, initiated Authors for Peace. It is intended to be a platform from which writers can actively use literature in different ways to promote peace. The first event by Authors for Peace took place on 21 September 2010, the UN's International Day of Peace. With the support of the International Literature Festival Berlin
, Priya hosted a 24hour-live-online-reading by 80 authors from all over the world. The authors read from their work in a gesture of solidarity with those who are oppressed or caught in conflict.
Priya lives in London and Berlin
.
Reviews
Articles
Her first novel, Ishq and Mushq, was published in 2007. Ishq and Mushq is a family saga which illuminates the problem of cultural identity for immigrants over several generations, and raises questions of memory, exile and self-rediscovery. Ishq and Mushq came second in the World Book Day "Book to Talk About 2008" competition. The novel was also short-listed for a Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers is an initiative by the Commonwealth Foundation to unearth, develop and promote the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth. It's flagship are two literary awards and a website...
, and long-listed for the Dylan Thomas Prize
Dylan Thomas Prize
The Dylan Thomas Prize is the world’s top cash prize for young writers. The annual prize, named in honor of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a cash award of £30,000 . It is open to published writers in the English language under the age of thirty. The prize...
and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
. Ishq and Mushq was translated into Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, and Serbian. Ishq and Mushq was currently translated into Italian: Profumo Di Spezie Proibite
Her second novel, The Obscure Logic of the Heart, was published in June 2010. The Obscure Logic of the Heart expands the theme of immigration. It tells the love story between the Muslim Lina and the liberal Kenyan architecture student, Anil. Both are second-generation immigrants living in London. Due to their different backgrounds, Lina's relationship is in stark opposition to her parents' wishes, forcing her to make a choice between her family and her great love. The characters are positioned in the maelstrom of socio-political problems. The Obscure Logic of the Heart is currently translated into Italian and German.
Priya's short novel Strangers on the 16:02 is published on the 17th February 2011 as a Quick Read. It’s a hot crowded train. Helen and Kerm are jammed together in a crowded carriage. Then noisy school kids fill the train—and three of them are about to cause a whole heap of trouble. Catching a train? Read Strangers on the 16.02 and you will never feel the same way about your fellow passengers again.
The Quick Reads Initiative
Quick Reads Initiative
Quick Reads are a series of short books by bestselling authors and celebrities. With no more than 128 pages, they are designed to encourage adults who do not read often, or find reading tough, to discover the joy of books....
publishes once a year a series of 10 short books by bestselling authors and celebrities. With no more than 128 pages, they are designed to encourage adults who do not read or find reading tough to discover the joy of books. They were launched in the UK and Ireland by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
on World Book Day 2006. Since then, over 60 titles have been published, over 3 million copies have been sold and 2 million copies have been loaned through libraries.
Personal life
Priya grew up in KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, returning to the UK to study English Literature at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
. She had a career in advertising before becoming a full time
Full time
Full-time employment is employment in which the employee works the full number of hours defined as such by his/her employer. Full-time employment often comes with benefits that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers, such as annual leave, sickleave, and health...
writer.
In 2010 Priya, and the journalist Matthias Fredrich-Auf der Horst, initiated Authors for Peace. It is intended to be a platform from which writers can actively use literature in different ways to promote peace. The first event by Authors for Peace took place on 21 September 2010, the UN's International Day of Peace. With the support of the International Literature Festival Berlin
International literature festival berlin
right|alt=alt text|logo ILB|thumb|ILB logoThe International Literature Festival Berlin also known as ILB,is an annual event based in Berlin. The festival takes place in early autumn and its purpose is to present contemporary developments in prose and poetry from all around the world...
, Priya hosted a 24hour-live-online-reading by 80 authors from all over the world. The authors read from their work in a gesture of solidarity with those who are oppressed or caught in conflict.
Priya lives in London and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
External links
Videos- Priya Basil On Reading and Writing
- Priya Basil "Heart - Bite"-Quotes The Obscure Logic of the Heart
- Priya Basil Strangers on the 16:02 - Train Rides 1-12
- Priya Basil "Literary Bridge" - a virtual Join me on the Bridge event initiated by Priya and Authors for Peace for Women for Women InternationalWomen for Women InternationalWomen for Women International is an international organization advocating for women's rights.-Organization and mission: is a humanitarian organization that provides financial and emotional support to women survivors of war. Their programs help women achieve self-sufficiency through direct aid,...
in honour of the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day
Reviews
- Brinda Bose on Ishq and Mushq, India Today (26.3.2007) "Spice Route to Soul"
- James Urquhart on The Obscure Logic of the Heart, Financial Times (8.7.2011): "Basil’s novel is subtly played out; passionate and intelligent in scope."
- Eve Lucas on The Obscure Logic of the Heart, ExBerliner (June 2010): "Basil's maturity as a writer is newly reflected in characters whose emotional, ideological and political lives are closely intertwined-redolent of the complex personalities created by writers such as C.P Snow and Evelyn Waugh... Basil spans a large canvas of well observed and entirely credible third world nepotism against which Lina's work for a better world appears as a cry in the desert. Woven into the bigger picture are many small, luminous threads of conversational snippets, situational snapshots, the humdrum of life lovingly seen and recorded. The micro- and the macrocosm are bound together by all that happens in between and above all, in-between people. The book flows at all levels, but here, for me, is Basil's true strength: her interest in people, her sympathy with them, and the way she brings this to bear on her narratives."
- Farhana Shaikh on The Obscure Logic of the Heart, The Asian Writer (July 2010): “A brilliant second book and one that makes a stand to address the complex battle and struggle for identity and independence faced by the modern Asian woman.”
- "Romeo, Juliet and Islam" - Tales From The Reading Room-Review of The Obscure Logic of the Heart, August 2010: "I took a bit of a punt on this book as it was outside my usual run of reading, but I absolutely loved it, one of the best reads so far this year. What I admired most was Priya Basil’s ability to weave her themes together seamlessly, making the brutality of the world reverberate in distressing ways in the crucible of passionate love between men and women, between parents and children and between good friends. I felt I’d been given an illuminating glimpse into a part of the world about which I knew nothing, and had been caught up in a powerful story that made me think."
- Brinda Bose on The Obscure Logic of the Heart, India Today (7.8.2010): “…what makes Basil’s Obscure Logic stand out from any other everyday heart-wrencher is the maturity with which it recognizes that there are no easy choices or irrefutable answers to dilemmas and confusion about the nature of love and passion. Basil seeks neither solutions nor compromises, and yet she writes a prose that burns and scorches with wry conviction about young love that refuses to say die.”
Articles
- Shanghai City Weekend Editor "emilyc"'s Live-Blog on Ishq and Mushq
- Priya Basil on Pushing the Limit, Chronicles, Crossing Border Festival, The Hague (November 2007)
- Spotlight Interview, Spotlight Magazine (June 2008)
- Found in Translation, Essay by Priya Basil, Asia Literary Review, Spring 2008
- My Home is Our Castle, Essay by Priya Basil, Heat 22, Giramondo Publishing, Sydney, Spring 2010
- The Asian Writer-Interview on The Obscure Logic of the Heart, July 2010”
- Losing Their Religion, Essay by Priya Basil, Asia Literary Review, Autumn 2010
- Forbidden love, Article by Priya Basil, The Guardian, September 2010
- Interview with Priya Basil by Kerrie Anne, The View From Here, September 2010
- A brief encounter with the maternal urge, Article by Priya Basil, The Guardian, July 2011