The DSC Prize has emerged as a top recognition in South Asia's literary landscape and this year more than half of the eligible entries from publishers worldwide include novels written by women.
The novels submitted for the DSC Prize 2018 are at present being read and evaluated by a five-member international jury panel which would first announce a longlist of 12 to 15 books in New Delhi in early October.
Thereafter the shortlist of five or six books would be announced in London in November and the eventual winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2018 would be announced at a special award ceremony to be held in February 2019 in a south Asian country.
According to the presenters of the USD 25,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, this year more submissions have come in for novels authored by women writers as compared to their male counterparts.
The prize which specifically focuses on South Asian fiction writing received a total of 88 eligible entries which include 45 novels written by women, they said, adding this is the highest number of entries by women writers that the prize has received since its inception in 2010.
Another interesting fact: of the 45 entries by women authors, 15 have been written by debut novelists.
The DSC Prize, which is now in its eighth year, is administered by the South Asian Literature Prize & Events Trust, and is specifically focused on showcasing and rewarding the best talent writing about the region and presenting it to a larger global audience.
The submissions this year came in from 40 publishers and across 56 imprints from across the globe. Apart from publishers from the sub-continent, close to 25 per cent of the submissions came in from publishers based out of the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, which highlights the growing interest of publishers and authors across the world in South Asian writing.
As in the previous years, the entries represent a healthy mix of established writers and first time novelists as well as translated entries. In line with the prize’s objective to promote regional writing, translated entries have come in this year for novels originally written in Hindi, Tamil, Odia, Kannada, Assamese and Malayalam.
Commenting on the diversity of the entries received, Surina Narula, founder of the DSC Prize, said, "The entries include a healthy mix of debut novelists along with established writers, women writers, translated novels, stories set in South Asia and beyond, and storylines spanning a huge canvas of issues and emotions."
Close to a quarter of all the entries received have come in from publishers outside South Asia, which highlights the growing importance of the region in the global literary landscape, she said.
"Apart from the large well established publishing conglomerates with multiple imprints, several smaller boutique publishers with niche interest in South Asian writing have also participated," Narula added.
Past winners of the DSC Prize are H M Naqvi (Pakistan), Shehan Karunatilaka (Sri Lanka), Jeet Thayil and Cyrus Mistry from India, American author of Indian origin Jhumpa Lahiri, Anuradha Roy from India, and Anuk Arudpragasam of Sri Lanka.
In line with its South Asian essence, the award ceremony is held in various South Asian countries by rotation. The winner of the DSC Prize 2015 was announced at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India. In 2016, it was announced at the Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka and in 2017 at the Dhaka Lit Fest in Bangladesh.