A Canadian author of Indian-origin has received the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award, the top prize in the field in the country.
Toronto-based Moyez Gulamhussein Vassanji won the USD 25,000 award for his book A Place Within: Rediscovering India in the non-fiction category.
"An utterly brilliant, evocative memoir that ranges across the landscapes of culture, memory, identity and history," the award jury commented on the book, published by Doubleday Canada.
Ottawa's Canada Council for the Arts and Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean honour the finest of the Canadian literature in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation.
Acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed congratulated Vassanji for bringing pride to the whole community in North America and urged him to mentor younger Indo-Canadian writers.
Literature in India went back to epigraphic inscriptions of the Indus Valley (around 2,000 BCE) and standardised forms were developed very early in the history of Sanskrit writing, Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, said in a statement in Nevada (USA) today.
Born in 1950 in Kenya and raised in Tanzania, 59-year-old Vassanji began his career as a theoretical nuclear physicist and moved to Canada in 1978. He has twice been awarded with Giller Prize for his novels.
{{/usCountry}}Born in 1950 in Kenya and raised in Tanzania, 59-year-old Vassanji began his career as a theoretical nuclear physicist and moved to Canada in 1978. He has twice been awarded with Giller Prize for his novels.
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