Atta Galatta Book Prize 2020 longlist announced for fiction and non-fiction; Bombay Balchão, Hijab among nominees

The longlist for the Atta Galatta–Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize was announced today. 12 fiction and 10 non-fiction titles were longlisted in separate categories for the Atta Galatta prizes in English-language writing. The 2020 fiction longlist includes: _Bombay Balchão_ by Jane Borges (Tranquebar) Chorashastra by VJ James, translated by Morley J Nair (Eka) Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara (Random House) Hijab by Guruprasad Kaginele, translated by Pavan N Rao (S&S India) _In Search of Heer_ by Manjul Bajaj (Tranquebar) Kintsugi: A Novel  by Anukrti Upadhyay (Fourth Estate India) Taboo: A Novel by Nirmala Govindarajan (Pan Macmillan India) _The Alchemy of Secrets_ by Priya Balasubramanian (Tranquebar) The Lion Of Kashmir by Siddhartha Gigoo (Rupa Publications India) The Man Who Learnt to Fly but Could Not Land by Thachom Poyil Rajeevan, translated by PJ Mathew (Hachette, UK) Undertow by Jahnavi Barua (Viking) What’s Wrong with You, Karthik? by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (Pan Macmillan India) The 2020 non-fiction longlist includes: 2019: How Modi Won India by Rajdeep Sardesai (Harper India) Bland Fanatics : Liberals, Race and Empire by Pankaj Mishra (Verso) Let Me Say it Now by Rakesh Maria (Westland) Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines by Amandeep Sandhu (Westland) Sebastian and Sons : A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers by TM Krishna (Context) Sex and the Supreme Court: How the Law is Upholding the Dignity of the Indian Citizen by Saurabh Kirpal (Ed) (Hachette India) The Death Script : Dreams and Delusions in Naxal Country by Ashutosh Bhardwaj (Fourth Estate India) The Indian Army: Reminiscences, Reforms & Romance by HS Panag (Westland) The Unquiet River: A Biography of the Brahmaputra by Arupjyoti Saikia (Oxford University Press, USA) _Why Men Rape: An Indian Undercover Investigation_ by Tara Kaushal (HarperCollins) The Atta Galatta prizes for English-language writing were instituted in 2015, accepting translations and self-published books as well. Apart from the fiction and non-fiction categories, there’s a Popular Choice award allocated through a special reader-based jury. Moreover, in 2019, a new category was also added to the awards: Best Illustrated Books for Adults. An annual award is also presented for Literary Achievement in Kannada, celebrating their work and contribution to the language.