Titles by Geetanjali Shree, Ramachandra Guha longlisted for Crossword Book Awards 2025

Mumbai, Sep 18 (PTI) Historian Ramachandra Guha’s "Speaking with Nature" and scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde’s "Iconoclast" are among the non-fiction titles longlisted for the Crossword Book Awards 2025, alongside fiction works like former diplomat-author Vikas Swarup’s "The Girl with the Seven Lives" and novelist Prayaag Akbar’s "Mother India".

The longlist of the coveted book awards, which spans in five key categories -- including translations, children’s books, and business & management -- reflects the vibrant diversity and evolving voices in Indian literature today.

Other notable non-fiction selections include "Golwalkar" by Dhirendra K Jha, Manu S Pillai’s "Gods, Guns, and Missionaries", Zara Chowdhary’s "The Lucky Ones", and "From the King’s Table to Street Food" by Pushpesh Pant.

The fiction longlist features a diverse array of voices and settings from across India, including Ruchir Joshi’s "Great Eastern Hotel", Anisha Lalvani’s "Girls Who Stray", Madhulika Liddle’s "An Unholy Drought", as well as "Rising Sons" and "Across the River" by Kavery Nambisan and Bhaichand Patel, respectively.

In the children’s books category, the standout engaging stories include "The Wall Friends Club" by Varsha Seshan, "The School for Bad Girls" by Madhurima Vidyarthi, "Woebegone’s Warehouse of Words" by Payal Kapadia, and "565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India" by Mallika Ravikumar.

The translations section, which includes the Booker-winning duo author Geetanjali Shree and translator Daisy Rockwell's "Our City That Year", further highlights India’s rich linguistic heritage with works rendered into English from Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Hindi, and other regional languages.

"One and Three Quarters" by Shrikant Bojewar, translated from the Marathi by Vikrant Pande; "Unlove Story" by Sudipto Pal, translated from the Bengali by Arunava Sinha; "A Temple of No Gods" by Manav Kaul, translated from the Hindi by Sayari Debnath; and "White Blood by Nanak Singh", translated from the Punjabi by Dilraj Singh Suri, are among the other longlisted titles in the translations category.

The selection is curated by a distinguished 15-member jury that includes acclaimed author and former diplomat Navtej Sarna, Outlook managing editor Satish Padmanabhan, children’s author Anita Nair, and journalist Mitali Mukherjee.

"We are thrilled to unveil the longlist for the Crossword Book Awards 2025, a collection of titles meticulously curated by our esteemed jury. This longlist is a testament to the incredible talent and diverse voices that enrich India's literary landscape.

"For every book lover, it's a definitive guide to the year's best reading, and we believe these powerful works will spark new conversations and inspire readers across the country," said Aakash Gupta, CEO of Crossword Bookstores.

The Business and Management category also features a strong lineup of biographies and analytical works, with titles such as "Ratan Tata" by Thomas Mathew, "Just a Mercenary?" by Duvvuri Subbarao, "Behold the Leviathan" by Saurabh Mukherjea and Nandita Rajhansa, "The Dirty Dozen" by N. Sundaresha Subramanian, and "The Tanishq Story" by CK Venkataraman.

Additionally, the 'Popular Awards' shortlist will be announced on 30th September, inviting book lovers nationwide to cast their votes. The shortlisted titles will be announced in October, followed by the final awards ceremony in December. PTI MG MG MAH MG