Novelist Gitanjali Sri has won the prestigious International Booker Prize for her novel Tomb of Sand, translated from Hindi, becoming the first Indian woman to win the prize.

Sree’s novel deals with the story of an 80 – year – old woman who starts an unexpected and unusual new life after her husband’s death and decides to move to Pakistan. The story takes place in northern India.

The novel “Tomb of Sand” became the first Hindi language book to receive the award, which was awarded a cash prize of 50,000 50,000 (approximately $ 62,000) during a party in London on Thursday evening. American translator Daisy Rockwell.

“I never dreamed of the Booker Prize and I never thought I would get it,” he told the Press Trust of India. “What a great compliment … I am surprised, happy and proud,” he added, adding that he was born in 1957 in Minburi, India and now lives in New Delhi.

He pointed out that the book itself was a model for “a rich and prosperous literary publication in Hindi and other South Asian languages”, emphasizing that “dealing with some of the best writers in these languages ​​would be the world’s richest source. Literature.”

Frank Wayne, chairman of the jury, said he had never read a book like this before, and that the novel contained the meanings of life, strength, and passion needed for the world today.

She competed with Sri5 female novelists in the final round of the award, including Polish Nobel Prize winner Olga Dokorsuk and Argentina’s Claudia Pinheiro and Bora Chung from South Korea.

Last year, the Booker Prize went to French writer David Diop’s novel “Freer Dame”, which in 2020 went to Scottish-American writer Douglas Stewart (Shoji Payne) for the novel, and in 2019 to Omani writer Joka. Al-Hardi for his novel “Ladies of the Moon”.