A tale of three sisters and the freedom to
was first translated into French by Annie Montaut, before Daisy Rockwell translated it into English. After the prize, there has been a huge demand for further translations. We are in talks for translations into Marathi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Kannada, German and Spanish.
This is wonderful because the book is epic in its scope. It also engages with history, ageing, and the rights of transgender people. It also has delicious descriptions of food. I am sure everyone can find something in it to relate to.
INTERVIEW
CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI, AUTHOR, INDEPENDENCE
It was kind of serendipitous, and it seemed powerful, like ancient tales with three sisters in them. me quite serendipitously. For many of my books, I don’t know the title until the end. But this one was clear from early on.
The book mentions how the medical college admissions process discriminated against women candidates in preindependence India. Did you draw on any particular narratives?
My grandfather was a doctor; much like Nabakumar in the book, he had a free clinic in his home village. My mother told me that she had also wanted to be a doctor, but it was not possible for her because of the gender discrimination at the time. She became a teacher, which was considered more acceptable. So yes, personal and family narratives really inspired this book.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 350pp, ~699, Harpercollins
growing up?
Again, there were so many stories from my mother about marching and singing Bande Mataram, and facing lathi charges. Or of people singing the national anthem on Independence Day.
Songs were a big part of the resistance against the British. I love these songs. I grew up listening to them.
Tagore’s songs were so inspirational to so many. They still have such power. I wanted to make all this a big part of the book. I am so glad my publisher has put a QR code in the book so readers can listen to these songs for free.