Pakistani Critic Muneeza Shamsie announced as a jury member of DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

MADIHA AZHAR

KARACHI: The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature has announced its jury of five members including Pakistani Writer and Critic Muneeza Shamsie.

Eminent Indian Writer, Critic and Translator K Satchidanandan will chair the five-member jury to select this year’s winner of the $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, that honors literary works of fresh writers in the region.

The panel comprises of a wide mix of literary personalities from the region including Satchidanandan, Shamsie, Director of the Khatmandu Literary Institute Jatra Suvani Singh, Literary Entrepreneur Rick Simonson, and Irish-Canadian Cultural Entrepreneur Eleanor O’Keefe.

The DSC Prize honors the work of South Asian writers or works of authors of any ethnicity related to South Asian people or culture.

The Prize also honors the art of translation to the English language and rewards the translator with half of the prize money if a translated work wins.

The third edition of the event has become an important event on the global literary stage. The contest received over 80 entries from 36 publishers which is 30 percent higher than last year.

Entries from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as from USA, UK and Australia have been received.

The short-listed entries will be announced later this year in London, while winners will be unveiled in January 2013 at the DSC Jaipur Literary Festival.

The inaugural DSC Prize for South Asian Literature was previously won by Pakistani Writer HM Naqvi for ‘Home Boy’ while the second honor was claimed by Shehan Karunatilaka of Sri Lanka for ‘Chairman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew’.