Anjali Joseph is a British novelist and short story writer. She is known for her distinctive literary style, often exploring themes of identity, belonging, and cultural transitions.
Early Life and Education Anjali Joseph was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in India and the UK. She studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where she read English Literature. She later pursued a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Before becoming a full-time writer, Joseph worked as a journalist in India, including for The Times of India and The Hindu.
Literary Career Joseph's debut novel, Saraswati Park, was published in 2010. The novel, set in Mumbai, explores the life of a middle-aged copy editor and his family. It received critical acclaim and won several prestigious awards, including the Betty Trask Award, the Desmond Elliott Prize, and the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar.
Her second novel, Another Country, was published in 2012. It follows the experiences of a young Indian man studying at Cambridge and his subsequent journey to explore his identity.
In 2016, Joseph released her third novel, The Living. This book tells the intertwining stories of two characters: a young woman working in a shoe factory in Norwich, England, and an elderly man living in a remote village in Kerala, India.
Her most recent novel, Keeping in Touch, was published in 2021.
Works
- Saraswati Park (2010)
- Another Country (2012)
- The Living (2016)
- Keeping in Touch (2021)
Awards and Recognition
- Betty Trask Award (2011) for Saraswati Park
- Desmond Elliott Prize (2011) for Saraswati Park
- Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (2011) for Saraswati Park