Biography of  Anita Desai

(June 24, 1937)

Anita Desai is a famous writer of the English language. She was born on June 24, 1937. Her father was an Indian and her mother was German. She was brought up in an atmosphere where mainly English was spoken. Later it became her literary language. She graduated from the University of Delhi. Anita was married to Ashrin Desai on December 13, 1958.

Anita's style of writing is very different from other writers. Her style is less conservative. She has written novels, children's books and short stories of common people and the problems of contemporary life. Ms. Desai's novels include: Cry, The Peacock; Voices in the City; Bye-Bye, Blackbird; Where Shall We Go This Summer?; Fire on the Mountain; Clear Light of Day; In Custody; Baumgartner's Bombay: Journey to Ithaca; and Fasting, Feasting.

In 1978, she was honoured with the National Academy of Letters Award for her novel "Fire on the Mountain'. She received the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction for 'The Village by the Sea', an adventurous fairytale about a boy. Anita also received the Literary Lions Award in 1993.