The Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) has announced the shortlist for the KLF Book of the Year Awards. There are six titles in the fiction and six titles in the non-fiction category in the shortlist. The KLF Book of the Year Awards is a debut award instituted by KLF. The awards recognize exceptional contributions to literature, celebrating the finest works of fiction and non-fiction of the year.
The award is adjudicated by an esteemed panel of writers with extensive expertise in the literary field. Jeet Thayil, Jerry Pinto and Mridula Koshy were the jury members of the fiction category while Meena Kandasamy, Akshaya Mukul and Satish Padmanabhan served as the jury members of the non-fiction category.
The shortlist was announced on 15 January 2025.
Shortlist of KLF Book of the Year Awards Fiction is as follows:
The Day the Earth Bloomed by Manoj Kuroor, translated from the Malayalam by J Devika, published by Bloomsbury India
The Distaste of the Earth by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, published by Penguin
Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life by Upamanyu Chatterjee, published by Speaking Tiger
Sanatan: A novel by Sharankumar Limbale, translated by Paromita Sengupta, published by Vintage Books – an imprint of Penguin
Sakina’s Kiss by Vivek Shanbhag, translated from the Kannada by Srinath Perur, published by Penguin
Chronicle of an Hour and a Half by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari, published by Context – an imprint of Westland
Shortlist of KLF Book of the Year Awards Non-Fiction is as follows:
Dalithan: An Autobiography by KK Kochu, translated from Malayalam by Radhika P Menon, published by Speaking Tiger
The Identity Project: The Unmaking of a Democracy by Rahul Bhatia, published by Context – an imprint of Westland
The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian by Neha Dixit, published by Juggernaut
City On Fire: A Boyhood in Aligarh by Zeyad Masroor Khan, published by HarperCollins India
I Am What I Am: A Memoir by Sunitha Krishnan, published by Westland
Circles Of Freedom: Friendship, Love and Loyalty in the Indian National Struggle by TCA Raghavan, published by Juggernaut
“The KLF Book of the Year Awards is the debut award instituted by the Kerala Literature Festival. By celebrating diverse voices and stories, the awards foster a deeper appreciation for literature’s power to connect, inspire, and transform. It is heartening to see such a rich and eclectic shortlist, reflecting the depth and diversity of contemporary writing in both fiction and non-fiction in the past one year. KLF has always stood as a platform for meaningful dialogue and exchange, and these awards further strengthen its commitment to the literary arts. My heartfelt congratulations to all the shortlisted authors, and I look forward to the unveiling of the final winners. We hope that this initiative of ours could be vital for nurturing and celebrating literary talents in India,” said Ravi Deecee, chief facilitator, Kerala Literature Festival.
