Suketu Mehta
Encyclopedia
Suketu Mehta is a writer based in New York City
. He was born in Kolkata, India
, and raised in Bombay where he lived until his family moved to the New York area in 1977. He has attended New York University
and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.
His autobiographical account of his experiences in the city of Mumbai, Maximum City
, was published in 2004. The book explores the underbelly of the sprawling city. It was a 2005 Pulitzer Prize
finalist.
Suketu Mehta also co-wrote the screenplay to the Bollywood
film Mission Kashmir
with novelist Vikram Chandra
.
Suketu lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He is currently working on a book about the New York City immigrant experience. He joined the New York University
journalism faculty in 2008.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was born in Kolkata, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and raised in Bombay where he lived until his family moved to the New York area in 1977. He has attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.
His autobiographical account of his experiences in the city of Mumbai, Maximum City
Maximum City
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found is a narrative nonfiction book by Suketu Mehta, published in 2004, about the Indian city of Mumbai . It was published in hardcover by Random House's Alfred A. Knopf imprint...
, was published in 2004. The book explores the underbelly of the sprawling city. It was a 2005 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
finalist.
Suketu Mehta also co-wrote the screenplay to the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film Mission Kashmir
Mission Kashmir
Mission Kashmir is a 2000 Bollywood film directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and starring Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta and Jackie Shroff as the main characters. Mission Kashmir follows the life and tragedy of a young boy named Altaaf after his entire family gets killed by...
with novelist Vikram Chandra
Vikram Chandra
Vikram Chandra is an Indian writer. His first novel, Red Earth and Pouring Rain, won the 1996 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Best First Book....
.
Suketu lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He is currently working on a book about the New York City immigrant experience. He joined the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
journalism faculty in 2008.
Awards
- He won the Whiting Writers' AwardWhiting Writers' AwardThe Whiting Writers' Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation and has been presented since 1985. As of 2007, winners receive US $50,000.-External links:**...
in 1997. - He won the O. Henry Prize for his short story Gare du Nord published in Harper's MagazineHarper's MagazineHarper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
in 1997. - He won a Fellowship of the New York Foundation for the Arts.
- He won a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship.
- 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for the book Maximum City.
- Maximum City was also chosen as one of the books of the year 2004 by The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. - Maximum City won the 2005 Kiriyama PrizeKiriyama PrizeThe Kiriyama Prize is an international literary award given to books which will encourage greater understanding of and among the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim and South Asia...
.
External links
- Suketu Mehta, official web site.
- Interview with the Wall Street Journal
- Interview in The BelieverThe Believer (magazine)The Believer is a United States literary magazine that also covers other arts and general culture. Founded and designed in 2003 by the writer and publisher Dave Eggers, it is edited by Vendela Vida, Heidi Julavits and Ed Park...
magazine by Karan MahajanKaran MahajanKaran Mahajan is a Joseph Henry Jackson Award-winning Indian novelist. Mahajan was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and grew up in New Delhi, India. He studied English and Economics at Stanford University. He currently lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn... - Interview with Venkatesan Vembu, Daily News & Analysis
- Lettre Ulysses Award Biography
- SAJAforum on his NYU appointment