Anita Desai: A Mindmap

• Anita Desai (1937 – Present)
  • Titles & Epithets
    • Master of Psychological Fiction
  • Biography
    • Born: June 24, 1937 (Mussoorie, Uttarakhand)
    • Heritage: German mother (Toni Nime), Bengali father (D.N. Mazumdar)
    • Education: Miranda House, University of Delhi (B.A. English Literature)
    • Family: Daughter Kiran Desai is also a Booker-winning novelist
  • Major Works
    • Novels
      • Cry, the Peacock (1963) - Debut, psychological depth
      • Voices in the City (1965)
      • Bye-Bye Blackbird (1971)
      • Fire on the Mountain (1977) - Sahitya Akademi Award
      • Clear Light of Day (1980) - Booker Prize Shortlist
      • The Village by the Sea (1982) - Children’s, Guardian Prize
      • In Custody (1984) - Booker Prize Shortlist
      • Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988)
      • Fasting, Feasting (1999) - Booker Prize Shortlist
      • The Zigzag Way (2004)
    • Short Story Collections
      • Games at Twilight and Other Stories (1978)
      • Diamond Dust and Other Stories (2000)
  • Literary Style & Themes
    • Style
      • Psychological Realism
      • Lyrical & Evocative Prose
      • Symbolism & Metaphor
      • Introspective & Meditative Tone
      • Focus on Sensory Details
    • Themes
      • Alienation & Isolation
      • Inner World vs. Outer Reality
      • Search for Identity & Self-Fulfillment
      • Family Relationships (complexities)
      • Tradition vs. Modernity
      • Madness & Neurosis
  • Awards & Honors
    • Sahitya Akademi Award (1978) for Fire on the Mountain
    • Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize (1983) for The Village by the Sea
    • Booker Prize Shortlist (3 times)
    • Literary Lion Award (1993)
    • Padma Bhushan (2014)