London-Indian origin American writer Avni Doshi was born in New Jersey in 1982 and is currently based in Dubai. She won the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize in 2013 and a Charles Pick Fellowship at the University of East Anglia in 2014. Her debut novel is published in India by Fourth Estate under the title Girl in White Cotton.
Doshi’s novel, Burnt Sugar, explores the complex relationship between an ageing mother and her daughter in contemporary India.She wrote on Twitter it had been a “wild ride” after being shortlisted for one of the literary world’s most prestigious awards.
Ethiopian-American Maaza Mengiste (The Shadow King) and
Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga (This Mournable Body) are also in competion for the prize. Five competitors are US-based authors.
