Indian novel ‘Tomb of Sand’ wins International Booker Prize

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Indian writer Geetanjali Shree and American translator Daisy Rockwell have won the International Booker Prize for “Tomb of Sand.” The book is a vibrant novel with a boundary-crossing 80-year-old heroine. Originally written in Hindi, it’s the first book in any Indian language to win the high-profile prize for fiction that has been translated into English. The 50,000-pound ($63,000) prize money will be split between New Delhi-based Shree and Rockwell, who lives in Vermont. Translator Frank Wynne, who chaired the judging panel, said the judges “overwhelmingly” chose “Tomb of Sand” after “a very passionate debate.” The International Booker Prize is awarded every year to a translated work of fiction published in the U.K. or Ireland.