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| period = 1980–present | | period = 1980–present | ||
| genre = Novels, poetry, libretto, travel writing, children's literature, biography/memoir | | genre = Novels, poetry, libretto, travel writing, children's literature, biography/memoir | ||
| notableworks = ''[[A Suitable Boy]]''<br/>''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]]''<br/> ''[[An Equal Music]]'' | | notableworks = ''[[A Suitable Boy]]''<br/>''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]]''<br/> ''[[An Equal Music]]'' | ||
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] | | awards = [[Padma Shri]]<br/>[[Sahitya Akademi Award]]<br/>[[Stegner Fellowship]]<br/>[[Guggenheim Fellowship]]<br/>[[FRSL]]<br/>[[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers' Prize]] | ||
[[FRSL]] | |||
[[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers' Prize]] | |||
| signature = | | signature = | ||
| module = {{Listen |embed= yes |filename= Vikram_Seth_BBC_Radio4_Desert_Island_Discs_22_Jan_2012_b01772hm.flac |title= Vikram Seth's voice |type= speech |description= from the BBC programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 22 January 2012.<ref>{{Cite episode |title= Vikram Seth |series= Desert Island Discs |series-link= Desert Island Discs |url= | | module = {{Listen |embed= yes |filename= Vikram_Seth_BBC_Radio4_Desert_Island_Discs_22_Jan_2012_b01772hm.flac |title= Vikram Seth's voice |type= speech |description= from the BBC programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 22 January 2012.<ref>{{Cite episode |title= Vikram Seth |series= Desert Island Discs |series-link= Desert Island Discs |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019rd99 |station= [[BBC Radio 4]] |date= 22 January 2012 |access-date= 18 January 2014 }}</ref> }} | ||
| website = {{URL|www.vikramseth.net}} | | website = {{URL|www.vikramseth.net}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Vikram Seth''' (born 20 June 1952) is an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[novelist]] and [[poet]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |date=2010 |first1=Sandip |last1=Hor |website=indianlink.com.au |title=Indian Link — The City of Wonders |access-date=28 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404061736/http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |archive-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | '''Vikram Seth''' (born 20 June 1952) is an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[novelist]] and [[poet]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |date=2010 |first1=Sandip |last1=Hor |website=indianlink.com.au |title=Indian Link — The City of Wonders |access-date=28 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404061736/http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |archive-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The author of three [[novel]]s and several collections of poetry, he is a recipient of the [[Padma Shri]], a [[Sahitya Akademi Award]], the [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]], the [[WH Smith Literary Award]] and the [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]]. Seth's collections of [[poetry]] such as ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'' and ''[[Beastly Tales]]'' are notable contributions to the [[Indian English]] language poetry canon,<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 23002110|title = In Other Places: An Inner Voice|last1 = Joshi|first1 = Rita|journal = India International Centre Quarterly|year = 1991|volume = 18|issue = 1|pages = 55–65}}</ref> and he is regarded as one of the greatest Indian writers in English of all time. | ||
==Early life and education== | ==Early life and education== | ||
Seth was born on 20 June 1952 in [[Calcutta]]. His father, Prem Nath Seth, was an executive of [[Bata Shoes]] and his mother, [[Leila Seth]], a [[Barrister]] by training, became the first female judge of the [[Delhi High Court]] and first woman to become [[Chief justice]] of a state High Court in India.<ref name="Atkins2002">{{cite book|author=Angela Atkins|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA7|date=26 June 2002|publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-5707-3|page=7}}</ref> | Seth was born on 20 June 1952 in [[Calcutta]]. His father, Prem Nath Seth, was an executive of [[Bata Shoes]] and his mother, [[Leila Seth]], a [[Barrister]] by training, became the first female judge of the [[Delhi High Court]] and first woman to become [[Chief justice]] of a state High Court in India.<ref name="Atkins2002">{{cite book|author=Angela Atkins|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA7|date=26 June 2002|publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-5707-3|page=7}}</ref> | ||
Seth was educated at the all-boys' private boarding school [[The Doon School]] in [[Dehradun]], where he was editor-in-chief of ''[[The Doon School Weekly]]''.<ref name="Seth2007">{{cite book|author=Leila Seth|title=On Balance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8byMR-HFBMC&pg=PT137|date=7 February 2007|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-81-8475-055-3|pages=137–}}</ref> At Doon, he was influenced by his teacher, the mountaineer [[Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)|Gurdial Singh]], who taught him geography and according to Leila Seth, "guided Vikram in many ways...encouraged him to appreciate Western classical music and instilled in him a love of adventure and daring."<ref name="Seth2007"/> Singh later described Seth as an "indefatigable worker, and he maintains without difficulty his distinguished level in studies...he has put in enormous amount of energy in other spheres of school life, in dramatics, in debating, in first aid, in music, and in editing the Doon School Weekly."<ref name="Seth2007" /> | Seth was educated at the all-boys' private boarding school [[The Doon School]] in [[Dehradun]], where he was editor-in-chief of ''[[The Doon School Weekly]]''.<ref name="Seth2007">{{cite book|author=Leila Seth|title=On Balance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8byMR-HFBMC&pg=PT137|date=7 February 2007|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-81-8475-055-3|pages=137–}}</ref> At Doon, he was influenced by his teacher, the mountaineer [[Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)|Gurdial Singh]], who taught him geography and according to Leila Seth, "guided Vikram in many ways...encouraged him to appreciate Western classical music and instilled in him a love of adventure and daring."<ref name="Seth2007"/> Singh later described Seth as an "indefatigable worker, and he maintains without difficulty his distinguished level in studies...he has put in an enormous amount of energy in other spheres of school life, in dramatics, in debating, in first aid, in music, and in editing the Doon School Weekly."<ref name="Seth2007" /> After graduating from Doon, Seth went to [[Tonbridge School]], England, to complete his [[A-levels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/mar/27/books.guardianreview1 |title=A suitable joy | Books |work=The Guardian |date=26 March 1999 |access-date=7 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|author=Atkins, A.|date=2002|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=9780826457073|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA8|page=8|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref> Later he read [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics]] at [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford|Corpus Christi College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. He then pursued a PhD in Economics at [[Stanford University]], though he never completed it.<ref name=bio>{{cite web |url=http://ekikrat.in/Vikram-Seth |title=Vikram Seth |publisher=ekikrat.in |access-date=24 November 2015 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033538/http://ekikrat.in/Vikram-Seth |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="stanford">{{cite web|url=http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/may/golden-gate-stanford-052013.html |title=The Golden Gate returns to Stanford May 30 |date=20 May 2013 |publisher=news.stanford.edu|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref><ref>Vikram Seth's Founder's Day Address, [[The Doon School]], Penguin Books of Modern Speeches (2009) p.34 "...edited the Weekly and did other things"</ref> | ||
==Work and style== | ==Work and style== | ||
Seth has published eight books of poetry and three novels. In 1980, he wrote ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'', his first book of poetry. The publication of ''[[A Suitable Boy]]'', a 1,349-page novel, propelled Seth into the public limelight. It was adapted into a BBC television drama miniseries in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Suitable Boy: BBC miniseries|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lbh9}}</ref> His third novel, ''[[An Equal Music]],'' deals with the troubled love-life of a violinist. Seth's work ''[[Two Lives (non-fiction)|Two Lives]],'' published in 2005, is a memoir of the marriage of his great-uncle and aunt. | |||
Seth has published eight books of poetry and three novels. In 1980, he wrote ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'', his first book of poetry. The publication of ''[[A Suitable Boy]]'', a 1,349-page novel, propelled Seth into the public limelight. It was adapted into a BBC television drama miniseries in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Suitable Boy: BBC miniseries|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lbh9}}</ref> His | |||
In addition to ''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]],'' Seth has written other works of poetry including ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'' (1980), ''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985), ''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990) and ''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992). His children's book, ''[[Beastly Tales from Here and There]]'' (1992) consists of 10 stories about animals. He has written a travel book, ''From Heaven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet'' (1983), an account of a journey through [[Tibet]], China and [[Nepal]]. He was also commissioned by the [[English National Opera]] to write a libretto based on the Greek legend of [[Arion]] and the Dolphin. The opera was performed for the first time in June 1994. | In addition to ''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]],'' Seth has written other works of poetry including ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'' (1980), ''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985), ''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990) and ''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992). His children's book, ''[[Beastly Tales from Here and There]]'' (1992) consists of 10 stories about animals. He has written a travel book, ''From Heaven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet'' (1983), an account of a journey through [[Tibet]], China and [[Nepal]]. He was also commissioned by the [[English National Opera]] to write a libretto based on the Greek legend of [[Arion]] and the Dolphin. The opera was performed for the first time in June 1994. | ||
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A sequel to ''A Suitable Boy,'' ''[[A Suitable Girl (novel)|A Suitable Girl]]'', was announced in 2009, but has yet to be published. | A sequel to ''A Suitable Boy,'' ''[[A Suitable Girl (novel)|A Suitable Girl]]'', was announced in 2009, but has yet to be published. | ||
Seth's former literary agent [[Giles Gordon]] recalled being interviewed by Seth for the position, "Vikram sat at one end of a long table and he began to grill us. It was absolutely incredible. He wanted to know our literary tastes, our views on poetry, our views on plays, which novelists we liked".<ref name="guardiansaturday">{{citation |title=A suitable joy |date=27 March 1999 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/mar/27/books.guardianreview1 |periodical=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=5 September 2007 |first=Jeremy |last=Gavron |location=London}}."</ref> Seth later explained to Gordon that he had passed the interview not because of commercial considerations, but because unlike the others he was the only agent who seemed as interested in his poetry as in his other writing. Seth followed what he has described as "the ludicrous advance for that book" (£250,000 for ''A Suitable Boy'')<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flood |first1=Alison |title=Vikram Seth writes Suitable Boy sequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jul/03/vikram-seth-suitable-boy-sequel#:~:text=There's%20no%20word%20yet%20as,to%20his%20most%20popular%20novel.&text=Seth%20described%20the%20time%20shift,in%20an%20interview%20with%20Reuters. |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=3 July 2009 |language=en}}</ref> with £500,000 for ''An Equal Music'' and £1.4 million for ''Two Lives''.<ref name="rediff">{{citation |title=Seth to get at least $3 million advance |first=Shyam |last=Bhatia |date=1 September 2003 |access-date=5 September 2007 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/sep/01seth.htm?zcc=rl}}</ref> He prepared an [[acrostic]] poem<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/vikram_seth_tribute.html |title=Curtis Brown |access-date=26 February 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815212235/http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/vikram_seth_tribute.html |archive-date=15 August 2004 }}</ref> for his address at Gordon's 2005 memorial service.<ref name="poemhunter">{{cite web|url=http://www.poemhunter.com/vikram-seth/biography/|title=Vikram Seth – Vikram Seth Biography – Poem Hunter|publisher=poemhunter.com|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref> | Seth's former literary agent [[Giles Gordon]] recalled being interviewed by Seth for the position, "Vikram sat at one end of a long table and he began to grill us. It was absolutely incredible. He wanted to know our literary tastes, our views on poetry, our views on plays, which novelists we liked".<ref name="guardiansaturday">{{citation |title=A suitable joy |date=27 March 1999 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/mar/27/books.guardianreview1 |periodical=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=5 September 2007 |first=Jeremy |last=Gavron |location=London}}."</ref> Seth later explained to Gordon that he had passed the interview not because of commercial considerations, but because, unlike the others, he was the only agent who seemed as interested in his poetry as in his other writing. Seth followed what he has described as "the ludicrous advance for that book" (£250,000 for ''A Suitable Boy'')<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flood |first1=Alison |title=Vikram Seth writes Suitable Boy sequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jul/03/vikram-seth-suitable-boy-sequel#:~:text=There's%20no%20word%20yet%20as,to%20his%20most%20popular%20novel.&text=Seth%20described%20the%20time%20shift,in%20an%20interview%20with%20Reuters. |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=3 July 2009 |language=en}}</ref> with £500,000 for ''An Equal Music'' and £1.4 million for ''Two Lives''.<ref name="rediff">{{citation |title=Seth to get at least $3 million advance |first=Shyam |last=Bhatia |date=1 September 2003 |access-date=5 September 2007 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/sep/01seth.htm?zcc=rl}}</ref> He prepared an [[acrostic]] poem<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/vikram_seth_tribute.html |title=Curtis Brown |access-date=26 February 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815212235/http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/vikram_seth_tribute.html |archive-date=15 August 2004 }}</ref> for his address at Gordon's 2005 memorial service.<ref name="poemhunter">{{cite web|url=http://www.poemhunter.com/vikram-seth/biography/|title=Vikram Seth – Vikram Seth Biography – Poem Hunter|publisher=poemhunter.com|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref> | ||
On 16 June 2024, publishing house Speaking Tiger announced the release of Seth's English translation of the sacred Hindu hymn ''[[Hanuman Chalisa]]'' - his first new work in over a decade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vikram Seth translates 'Hanuman Chalisa' in new bilingual edition |url=https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2024/06/16/lst2-book-vikram-seth.html |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=The Week |language=en}}</ref> | On 16 June 2024, publishing house Speaking Tiger announced the release of Seth's English translation of the sacred Hindu hymn ''[[Hanuman Chalisa]]'' - his first new work in over a decade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vikram Seth translates 'Hanuman Chalisa' in new bilingual edition |url=https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2024/06/16/lst2-book-vikram-seth.html |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=The Week |language=en}}</ref> | ||
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*''[[A Suitable Boy]]'' (1993) | *''[[A Suitable Boy]]'' (1993) | ||
*''[[An Equal Music]]'' (1999)<ref name="albertazzi">{{citation |periodical=European Review |date=20 January 2005|volume=13 |pages=103–113 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S1062798705000104 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=276618 |first=Silvia |last=Albertazzi |title=An equal music, an alien world: postcolonial literature and the representation of European culture|s2cid=144544406|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | *''[[An Equal Music]]'' (1999)<ref name="albertazzi">{{citation |periodical=European Review |date=20 January 2005|volume=13 |pages=103–113 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S1062798705000104 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=276618 |first=Silvia |last=Albertazzi |title=An equal music, an alien world: postcolonial literature and the representation of European culture|s2cid=144544406|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | ||
*''[[A Suitable Girl (novel)|A Suitable Girl]] ( | *''[[A Suitable Girl (novel)|A Suitable Girl]] (planned)'' | ||
===Poetry=== | ===Poetry=== | ||
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*''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985) | *''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985) | ||
*''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990) | *''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990) | ||
*''[[Beastly Tales]]'' ( | *''[[Beastly Tales]]'' (1992) | ||
*''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992) | *''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992) | ||
*''[[The Frog and the Nightingale]]'' (1994) | *''[[The Frog and the Nightingale]]'' (1994) | ||
*''Summer Requiem: A Book of Poems'' (2015) | *''Summer Requiem: A Book of Poems'' (2015) | ||
*''A | *''A Doctor's Journal Entry for August 6, 1945'' | ||
*''[[Elephant and the Trapogan]]'' | *''[[Elephant and the Trapogan]]'' | ||
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*1994 – [[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers Prize]] (Overall Winner, Best Book) for ''A Suitable Boy'' | *1994 – [[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers Prize]] (Overall Winner, Best Book) for ''A Suitable Boy'' | ||
*1994 – [[WH Smith Literary Award]] for ''A Suitable Boy'' | *1994 – [[WH Smith Literary Award]] for ''A Suitable Boy'' | ||
*1994 – Elected Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-01 |title=Seth, Vikram |url=https://rsliterature.org/fellows/vikram-seth/,%20https://rsliterature.org/fellows/vikram-seth/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=Royal Society of Literature |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
*1999 – [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]] for ''An Equal Music'' | *1999 – [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]] for ''An Equal Music'' | ||
*2001 – [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] | *2001 – [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] | ||
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150906135953/http://literature.britishcouncil.org/vikram-seth British Council Bio] | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150906135953/http://literature.britishcouncil.org/vikram-seth British Council Bio] | ||
*{{IMDb name |id=1532972 |name=Vikram Seth}} | *{{IMDb name |id=1532972 |name=Vikram Seth}} | ||
*[http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40714 "Poetic License" by Cynthia Haven, "Stanford Magazine," May/June 1999] | *[http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40714 "Poetic License" by Cynthia Haven, "Stanford Magazine," May/June 1999] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023001737/https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40714 |date=23 October 2020 }}; https://web.stanford.edu/~clh/articles/poetic_License.html | ||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151122180015/http://bombmagazine.org/article/1377/ ''BOMB Magazine'' interview with Vikram Seth by Ameena Meer] | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20151122180015/http://bombmagazine.org/article/1377/ ''BOMB Magazine'' interview with Vikram Seth by Ameena Meer] | ||
*[http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=seth_vikram Vikram Seth] at the [[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy|Encyclopedia of Fantasy]] | *[http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=seth_vikram Vikram Seth] at the [[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy|Encyclopedia of Fantasy]] | ||
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[[Category:The Doon School alumni]] | [[Category:The Doon School alumni]] | ||
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]] | [[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]] | ||
[[Category:English-language poets | [[Category:English-language Indian poets]] | ||
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom]] | [[Category:Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom]] | ||
[[Category:Indian male novelists]] | [[Category:Indian male novelists]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:58, 4 December 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian novelist and poet.[1] The author of three novels and several collections of poetry, he is a recipient of the Padma Shri, a Sahitya Akademi Award, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the WH Smith Literary Award and the Crossword Book Award. Seth's collections of poetry such as Mappings and Beastly Tales are notable contributions to the Indian English language poetry canon,[2] and he is regarded as one of the greatest Indian writers in English of all time.
Early life and education
Seth was born on 20 June 1952 in Calcutta. His father, Prem Nath Seth, was an executive of Bata Shoes and his mother, Leila Seth, a Barrister by training, became the first female judge of the Delhi High Court and first woman to become Chief justice of a state High Court in India.[3]
Seth was educated at the all-boys' private boarding school The Doon School in Dehradun, where he was editor-in-chief of The Doon School Weekly.[4] At Doon, he was influenced by his teacher, the mountaineer Gurdial Singh, who taught him geography and according to Leila Seth, "guided Vikram in many ways...encouraged him to appreciate Western classical music and instilled in him a love of adventure and daring."[4] Singh later described Seth as an "indefatigable worker, and he maintains without difficulty his distinguished level in studies...he has put in an enormous amount of energy in other spheres of school life, in dramatics, in debating, in first aid, in music, and in editing the Doon School Weekly."[4] After graduating from Doon, Seth went to Tonbridge School, England, to complete his A-levels.[5][6] Later he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He then pursued a PhD in Economics at Stanford University, though he never completed it.[7][8][9]
Work and style
Seth has published eight books of poetry and three novels. In 1980, he wrote Mappings, his first book of poetry. The publication of A Suitable Boy, a 1,349-page novel, propelled Seth into the public limelight. It was adapted into a BBC television drama miniseries in 2020.[10] His third novel, An Equal Music, deals with the troubled love-life of a violinist. Seth's work Two Lives, published in 2005, is a memoir of the marriage of his great-uncle and aunt.
In addition to The Golden Gate, Seth has written other works of poetry including Mappings (1980), The Humble Administrator's Garden (1985), All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990) and Three Chinese Poets (1992). His children's book, Beastly Tales from Here and There (1992) consists of 10 stories about animals. He has written a travel book, From Heaven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983), an account of a journey through Tibet, China and Nepal. He was also commissioned by the English National Opera to write a libretto based on the Greek legend of Arion and the Dolphin. The opera was performed for the first time in June 1994.
A sequel to A Suitable Boy, A Suitable Girl, was announced in 2009, but has yet to be published.
Seth's former literary agent Giles Gordon recalled being interviewed by Seth for the position, "Vikram sat at one end of a long table and he began to grill us. It was absolutely incredible. He wanted to know our literary tastes, our views on poetry, our views on plays, which novelists we liked".[11] Seth later explained to Gordon that he had passed the interview not because of commercial considerations, but because, unlike the others, he was the only agent who seemed as interested in his poetry as in his other writing. Seth followed what he has described as "the ludicrous advance for that book" (£250,000 for A Suitable Boy)[12] with £500,000 for An Equal Music and £1.4 million for Two Lives.[13] He prepared an acrostic poem[14] for his address at Gordon's 2005 memorial service.[15]
On 16 June 2024, publishing house Speaking Tiger announced the release of Seth's English translation of the sacred Hindu hymn Hanuman Chalisa - his first new work in over a decade.[16]
Views
Seth commented on the Indian general elections held during the summer of 2024 saying that "we live in a better situation now than we lived a month ago". He made this comment less than a month after the elections were over and a new coalition government had been sworn in. Seth said "at least now there is somewhat of limitation on autocracy."[17]
On the recent sanction[18] to prosecute the author Arundhati Roy, he noted that it was "craziness."[17]
Personal life
Seth is bisexual. He was in a relationship with the violinist Philippe Honoré for ten years and dedicated his novel An Equal Music to him.[19][20] In 2006, he became a leader of the campaign against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law against homosexuality.[19] When Section 377 was reinstated in 2013, Seth continued campaigning against the law.[21][22][23]
Seth divides his time between the United Kingdom, where he bought and renovated the former home of the Anglican poet George Herbert near Salisbury, and India, where he has a family home in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.[24]
Works
Novels
- The Golden Gate (1986)[25]
- A Suitable Boy (1993)
- An Equal Music (1999)[26]
- A Suitable Girl (planned)
Poetry
- Mappings (1980)
- The Tale Of Melon City (1981)
- The Humble Administrator's Garden (1985)
- All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990)
- Beastly Tales (1992)
- Three Chinese Poets (1992)
- The Frog and the Nightingale (1994)
- Summer Requiem: A Book of Poems (2015)
- A Doctor's Journal Entry for August 6, 1945
- Elephant and the Trapogan
Translation
Hanuman Chalisa[27]
Children's fiction
- Arion and the Dolphin (1994)
- The Louse and the Mosquito (2020)
Non-fiction
- From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983)
- Two Lives (2005)
- The Rivered Earth (2011)[28]
Appearances in poetry anthologies
- The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets. Ed. Arvind Krishna Mehrotra. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1992.[29][30]
- The Golden Treasure of Writers Workshop Poetry. Ed. Rubana Huq. Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 2008.[31]
Awards and honours
- 1983 – Thomas Cook Travel Book Award for From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet
- 1985 – Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Asia) for The Humble Administrator's Garden
- 1988 – Sahitya Akademi Award for The Golden Gate
- 1993 – Shortlisted, Irish Times International Fiction Prize for A Suitable Boy
- 1994 – Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book) for A Suitable Boy
- 1994 – WH Smith Literary Award for A Suitable Boy
- 1994 – Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[32]
- 1999 – Crossword Book Award for An Equal Music
- 2001 – Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 2001 – EMMA (BT Ethnic and Multicultural Media Award) for Best Book/Novel for An Equal Music
- 2005 – Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
- 2007 – Padma Shri in Literature & Education[33]
- 2013 – NDTV's 25 Greatest Global Living Legends In India
See also
References
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Sources
- Chaudhuri, Amit (ed.). "Vikram Seth (born 1952)." The Vintage Book of Modern Indian Literature. New York: Vintage, 2004:508–537.
External links
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- The Telegraph ("Love split delayed Suitable Boy sequel")
- British Council Bio
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- "Poetic License" by Cynthia Haven, "Stanford Magazine," May/June 1999 Template:Webarchive; https://web.stanford.edu/~clh/articles/poetic_License.html
- BOMB Magazine interview with Vikram Seth by Ameena Meer
- Vikram Seth at the Encyclopedia of Fantasy
- Interview with Vikram Seth by Terry Gross on Fresh Air
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Categories:
- Pages with script errors
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- 1952 births
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