Honorable Ambassador Akhilesh Mishra met Rajathi Salma, a renowned Indian Tamil writer listed for the Dublin Literary Award 2022. ‘Women, Dreaming’ is the book that has been longlisted for this award.
Rajathi Salma, renowned as a sensation in contemporary Tamil literature, writes under her pen name Salma. She is also an activist and a politician. Her debut novel, ‘Irandam Jamankalin Kathai’ (Hour Past Midnight), was longlisted for the DSC Prize and the Man Asian Prize 2010. ‘Women, Dreaming’ is her second book and was originally published in 2016 in Tamil as ‘Manaamiyangal’.
‘Manaamiyangal’ was translated into English under the title of ‘Women, Dreaming’ by Meena Kandasamy, a poet, fiction writer, translator, and activist. Manaamiyangal or Women, Dreaming, set in a tiny village in Tamil Nadu narrates the story of women sustained by the faith they have in themselves, in each other, and the everyday compromises they make. While one dream of a life living freely with her children, another dream of becoming a doctor. Meher, Parveen, Sajda, Asiya are some of the main characters in this story.
The International Dublin Literary Award is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. This award is one of the richest literary prizes in the world.