Vikram Seth: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Indian novelist and poet}}
{{Short description|Indian novelist and poet (born 1952)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Vikram Seth
| name             = Vikram Seth
| honorific_suffix={{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|size=100%}} {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSL|size=100%}}
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|size=100%}} {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSL|size=100%}}
| image = Vikram Seth, in Oxfordshire.jpg
| image           = Vikram Seth, in Oxfordshire (cropped).jpg
| caption = Seth in 2009
| caption         = Seth in 2009
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|6|20|df=y}}
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1952|6|20|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| birth_place     = [[Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| death_date =  
| death_date       =  
| death_place =  
| death_place     =  
| occupation = {{hlist|Novelist|poet}}
| occupation       = {{hlist|Novelist|poet}}
| nationality =  
| nationality     =  
| height =  
| height           =  
| alma_mater = [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford]]<br/>[[Stanford University]]
| alma_mater       = [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford]]<br/>[[Stanford University]]
| period = 1980–present
| period           = 1980–present
| genre = Novels, poetry, libretto, travel writing, children's literature, biography/memoir
| genre           = Novels, poetry, libretto, travel writing, children's literature, biography/memoir
| notableworks = ''[[A Suitable Boy]]''<br/>''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]]''<br/> ''[[An Equal Music]]''<br/>
| notableworks     = ''[[A Suitable Boy]]''<br/>''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]]''<br/> ''[[An Equal Music]]''
| awards = [[Padma Shri]], [[Sahitya Academy Award|Sahitya Academy]], [[Stegner Fellowship]], [[Guggenheim Fellowship]], [[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers' Prize]]
| awards           = [[Padma Shri]]<br/>[[Sahitya Akademi Award]]<br/>[[Stegner Fellowship]]<br/>[[Guggenheim Fellowship]]<br/>[[FRSL]]<br/>[[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers' Prize]]
| signature =  
| signature       =  
| module = {{Listen |embed= yes |filename= Vikram_Seth_BBC_Radio4_Desert_Island_Discs_22_Jan_2012_b01772hm.flac |title= Vikram Seth's voice |type= speech |description= from the BBC programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 22 January 2012.<ref>{{Cite episode |title= Vikram Seth |series= Desert Island Discs |series-link= Desert Island Discs |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019rd99 |station= [[BBC Radio 4]] |date= 22 January 2012 |access-date= 18 January 2014 }}</ref> }}
| module           = {{Listen |embed= yes |filename= Vikram_Seth_BBC_Radio4_Desert_Island_Discs_22_Jan_2012_b01772hm.flac |title= Vikram Seth's voice |type= speech |description= from the BBC programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 22 January 2012.<ref>{{Cite episode |title= Vikram Seth |series= Desert Island Discs |series-link= Desert Island Discs |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019rd99 |station= [[BBC Radio 4]] |date= 22 January 2012 |access-date= 18 January 2014 }}</ref> }}
| website = {{URL|www.vikramseth.net}}
| website         = {{URL|www.vikramseth.net}}
}}
}}


'''Vikram Seth''' {{post-nominals|post-noms={{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|commas=on|CBE|FRSL}}}} (born 20 June 1952) is an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[novelist]] and [[poet]]. He has written several [[novel]]s and [[poetry]] books. He has received several awards such as [[Padma Shri]], [[Sahitya Academy Award]], [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]], [[WH Smith Literary Award]] and [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]]. Seth's collections of [[poetry]] such as ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'' and ''[[Beastly Tales]]'' are notable contributions to the [[Indian English]] language poetry canon.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 23002110|title = In Other Places: An Inner Voice|last1 = Joshi|first1 = Rita|journal = India International Centre Quarterly|year = 1991|volume = 18|issue = 1|pages = 55–65}}</ref>
'''Vikram Seth''' (born 20 June 1952) is an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[novelist]] and [[poet]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |date=2010 |first1=Sandip |last1=Hor |website=indianlink.com.au |title=Indian Link — The City of Wonders |access-date=28 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404061736/http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |archive-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The author of three [[novel]]s and several collections of poetry, he is a recipient of the [[Padma Shri]], a [[Sahitya Akademi Award]], the [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]], the [[WH Smith Literary Award]] and the [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]]. Seth's collections of [[poetry]] such as ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'' and ''[[Beastly Tales]]'' are notable contributions to the [[Indian English]] language poetry canon,<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 23002110|title = In Other Places: An Inner Voice|last1 = Joshi|first1 = Rita|journal = India International Centre Quarterly|year = 1991|volume = 18|issue = 1|pages = 55–65}}</ref> and he is regarded as the greatest Indian writer in English of all time.


==Early life and education==
== Early Life ==
Seth was born on 20 June 1952 in [[Calcutta]]. His father, Prem Nath Seth, was an executive of [[Bata Shoes]] and his mother, [[Leila Seth]], a [[barrister]] by training, became the first female judge of the [[Delhi High Court]] and first woman to become Chief Justice of a state High Court in India.<ref name="Atkins2002">{{cite book|author=Angela Atkins|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA7|date=26 June 2002|publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-5707-3|page=7}}</ref>
Seth was born on 20 June 1952 in [[Calcutta]]. His father, Prem Nath Seth, was an executive of [[Bata Shoes]] and his mother, [[Leila Seth]], a [[Barrister]] by training, became the first female judge of the [[Delhi High Court]] and first woman to become [[Chief justice]] of a state High Court in India.<ref name="Atkins2002">{{cite book|author=Angela Atkins|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA7|date=26 June 2002|publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-5707-3|page=7}}</ref>


Seth was educated at the all-boys' private boarding school [[The Doon School ]] in [[Dehradun]], where he was editor-in-chief of ''[[The Doon School Weekly]]''.<ref name="Seth2007">{{cite book|author=Leila Seth|title=On Balance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8byMR-HFBMC&pg=PT137|date=7 February 2007|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-81-8475-055-3|pages=137–}}</ref> At Doon, he was influenced by his teacher, the mountaineer [[Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)|Gurdial Singh]], who taught him geography and, according to Leila Seth, "guided Vikram in many ways...encouraged him to appreciate Western classical music and instilled in him a love of adventure and daring."<ref name="Seth2007">{{cite book|author=Leila Seth|title=On Balance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8byMR-HFBMC&pg=PT137|date=7 February 2007|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-81-8475-055-3|pages=137–}}</ref> Singh later described Seth as an "indefatigable worker, and he maintains without difficulty his distinguished level in studies...he has put in enormous amount of energy in other spheres of school life, in dramatics, in debating, in first aid, in music, and in editing the Doon School Weekly."<ref name="Seth2007" /> After graduating from Doon, Seth went to [[Tonbridge School]], England, to complete his [[A-levels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/mar/27/books.guardianreview1 |title=A suitable joy &#124; Books |work=The Guardian |date=26 March 1999 |access-date=7 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|author=Atkins, A.|date=2002|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=9780826457073|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA8|page=8|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref>  Later he read [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics]] at [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford|Corpus Christi College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Economics at [[Stanford University]] though never completed it.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://ekikrat.in/Vikram-Seth |title=Vikram Seth |publisher=ekikrat.in|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="stanford">{{cite web|url=http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/may/golden-gate-stanford-052013.html |title=The Golden Gate returns to Stanford May 30 |date=20 May 2013 |publisher=news.stanford.edu|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref><ref>Vikram Seth's Founder's Day Address, [[The Doon School]], Penguin Books of Modern Speeches (2009) p.34 "...edited the Weekly and did other things"</ref>
Seth was educated at the all-boys' private boarding school [[The Doon School]] in [[Dehradun]], where he was editor-in-chief of ''[[The Doon School Weekly]]''.<ref name="Seth2007">{{cite book|author=Leila Seth|title=On Balance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8byMR-HFBMC&pg=PT137|date=7 February 2007|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-81-8475-055-3|pages=137–}}</ref> At Doon, he was influenced by his teacher, the mountaineer [[Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)|Gurdial Singh]], who taught him geography and according to Leila Seth, "guided Vikram in many ways...encouraged him to appreciate Western classical music and instilled in him a love of adventure and daring."<ref name="Seth2007"/> Singh later described Seth as an "indefatigable worker, and he maintains without difficulty his distinguished level in studies...he has put in an enormous amount of energy in other spheres of school life, in dramatics, in debating, in first aid, in music, and in editing the Doon School Weekly."<ref name="Seth2007" /> After graduating from Doon, Seth went to [[Tonbridge School]], England, to complete his [[A-levels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/mar/27/books.guardianreview1 |title=A suitable joy &#124; Books |work=The Guardian |date=26 March 1999 |access-date=7 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide|author=Atkins, A.|date=2002|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=9780826457073|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqiNnpMOxlYC&pg=PA8|page=8|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref>  Later he read [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics]] at [[Corpus Christi College, Oxford|Corpus Christi College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. He then pursued a PhD in Economics at [[Stanford University]], though he never completed it.<ref name=bio>{{cite web |url=http://ekikrat.in/Vikram-Seth |title=Vikram Seth |publisher=ekikrat.in |access-date=24 November 2015 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033538/http://ekikrat.in/Vikram-Seth |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="stanford">{{cite web|url=http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/may/golden-gate-stanford-052013.html |title=The Golden Gate returns to Stanford May 30 |date=20 May 2013 |publisher=news.stanford.edu|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref><ref>Vikram Seth's Founder's Day Address, [[The Doon School]], Penguin Books of Modern Speeches (2009) p.34 "...edited the Weekly and did other things"</ref>


==Work and style==
== Views ==
Seth has published eight books of poetry and three novels. In 1980, he wrote ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'', his first book of poetry. The publication of ''[[A Suitable Boy]]'', a 1,349-page novel, propelled Seth into the public limelight. It was adapted into a BBC television drama miniseries in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Suitable Boy: BBC miniseries|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lbh9}}</ref> His second novel, ''[[An Equal Music]],'' deals with the troubled love-life of a violinist. Seth's work ''[[Two Lives (non-fiction)|Two Lives]],'' published in 2005, is a memoir of the marriage of his great-uncle and aunt.
Seth commented on the [[2024_Indian_general_election|Indian general elections held during the summer of 2024]] saying that "we live in a better situation now than we lived a month ago". He made this comment less than a month after the elections were over and a new coalition government had been sworn in. Seth said "at least now there is somewhat of limitation on autocracy."<ref name="DH">{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/vikram-seth-on-2024-lok-sabha-election-results-limitation-on-autocracy-now-3076858|title=Vikram Seth on 2024 Lok Sabha election results: 'Limitation on autocracy now'|agency=[[Press Trust of India]]|website=deccanherald.com|publisher=[[Deccan Herald]]|date=22 June 2024|accessdate=10 July 2024}}</ref>


In addition to ''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]],'' Seth has written other works of poetry including ''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]'' (1980), ''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985), ''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990) and ''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992). His children's book, ''[[Beastly Tales from Here and There]]'' (1992) consists of 10 stories about animals. He has written a travel book, ''From Heaven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet'' (1983), an account of a journey through [[Tibet]], China and [[Nepal]]. He was also commissioned by the [[English National Opera]] to write a libretto based on the Greek legend of [[Arion]] and the Dolphin. The opera was performed for the first time in June 1994.
On the recent sanction<ref>{{cite news|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/columns/delhi-lg-sanction-for-arundhati-roy-prosecution-under-uapa-legal-issues/article68295917.ece|title=Delhi LG's sanction for Arundhati Roy's prosecution under UAPA is legally vulnerable|author=V. Venkatesan|website=frontline.thehindu.com|publisher=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|date=16 June 2024|accessdate=10 July 2024}}</ref> to prosecute the author [[Arundhati Roy]], he noted that it was "craziness."<ref name="DH"/>


A sequel to ''A Suitable Boy,'' ''[[A Suitable Girl]]'', was announced in 2009.
== Personal life ==
Seth is [[Bisexuality|bisexual]]. He was in a relationship with the violinist [[Philippe Honoré (violinist)|Philippe Honoré]] for ten years and dedicated his novel ''An Equal Music'' to him.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-03-11 |title="It Took Me Long To Come To Terms With Myself. Those Were Painful Years." |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/it-took-me-long-to-come-to-terms-with-myself-those-were-painful-years/232671 |access-date=2022-09-22 |archive-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311123845/https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/it-took-me-long-to-come-to-terms-with-myself-those-were-painful-years/232671 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Seth |first=Vikram |title=An Equal Music |publisher=Vintage |year=1999}}</ref> In 2006, he became a leader of the campaign against [[Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code]], a law against [[homosexuality]].<ref name=":0" /> When Section 377 was reinstated in 2013, Seth continued campaigning against the law.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Seth |first=Vikram |date=December 20, 2013 |title=Vikram Seth on Section 377 and gay rights in India |work=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20131230-vikram-seth-on-gay-rights-homosexuality-769369-2013-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Jason |date=December 20, 2013 |title=Vikram Seth: India's gay sex ban is against our tradition of tolerance |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/20/vikram-seth-india-supreme-court-ban-gay-sex}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Biswas |first=Soutik |date=December 20, 2013 |title=Why Indian author Vikram Seth is angry |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-25459648}}</ref>


==Life and career==
Seth divides his time between the [[United Kingdom]], where he bought and renovated the former home of the Anglican poet [[George Herbert]] near [[Salisbury]], and India, where he has a family home in [[Noida]], [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref name="herberthouse2">{{citation |last1=Lewis |first1=Leo |title=Listening to God's melodies |date=29 July 2006 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-2288533,00.html |periodical=[[The Times]] |location=London |access-date=5 September 2007 |last2=Island |first2=Jindo}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
Seth's former literary agent [[Giles Gordon]] recalled being interviewed by Seth for the position, "Vikram sat at one end of a long table and he began to grill us. It was absolutely incredible. He wanted to know our literary tastes, our views on poetry, our views on plays, which novelists we liked".<ref name="guardiansaturday">{{citation |title=A suitable joy |date=27 March 1999 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/mar/27/books.guardianreview1 |periodical=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=5 September 2007 |first=Jeremy |last=Gavron |location=London}}."</ref> Seth later explained to Gordon that he had passed the interview not because of commercial considerations, but because unlike the others he was the only agent who seemed as interested in his poetry as in his other writing. Seth followed what he has described as "the ludicrous advance for that book" (£250,000 for ''A Suitable Boy'')<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flood |first1=Alison |title=Vikram Seth writes Suitable Boy sequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jul/03/vikram-seth-suitable-boy-sequel#:~:text=There's%20no%20word%20yet%20as,to%20his%20most%20popular%20novel.&text=Seth%20described%20the%20time%20shift,in%20an%20interview%20with%20Reuters. |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=3 July 2009 |language=en}}</ref> with £500,000 for ''An Equal Music'' and £1.4&nbsp;million for ''Two Lives''.<ref name="rediff">{{citation |title=Seth to get at least $3 million advance |first=Shyam |last=Bhatia |date=1 September 2003 |access-date=5 September 2007 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/sep/01seth.htm?zcc=rl}}</ref> He prepared an [[acrostic]] poem<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/vikram_seth_tribute.html |title=Curtis Brown |access-date=26 February 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815212235/http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/vikram_seth_tribute.html |archive-date=15 August 2004 }}</ref> for his address at Gordon's 2005 memorial service.<ref name="poemhunter">{{cite web|url=http://www.poemhunter.com/vikram-seth/biography/|title=Vikram Seth – Vikram Seth Biography – Poem Hunter|publisher=poemhunter.com|access-date=24 November 2015}}</ref>


Seth was made a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in 2001.
==Works==
 
==Bibliography==


===Novels===
===Novels===
*''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]]'' (1986)<ref name="doononline">{{citation |title=Vikram Seth |periodical=DoonOnline: Features & Spotlights |url=http://doononline.net/pages/info_features/features_spotlights/spotlights/seth/index.htm |access-date=5 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516082359/http://www.doononline.net/pages/info_features/features_spotlights/spotlights/seth/index.htm |archive-date=16 May 2006 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
*''[[The Golden Gate (Seth novel)|The Golden Gate]]'' (1986)<ref name="doononline">{{citation |title=Vikram Seth |periodical=DoonOnline: Features & Spotlights |url=http://doononline.net/pages/info_features/features_spotlights/spotlights/seth/index.htm |access-date=5 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516082359/http://www.doononline.net/pages/info_features/features_spotlights/spotlights/seth/index.htm |archive-date=16 May 2006 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
*''[[A Suitable Boy]]'' (1993)  
*''[[A Suitable Boy]]'' (1993)  
*''[[An Equal Music]]'' (1999)<ref name="albertazzi">{{citation |periodical=European Review |date=20 January 2005|volume=13 |pages=103–113 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S1062798705000104 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=276618 |first=Silvia |last=Albertazzi |title=An equal music, an alien world: postcolonial literature and the representation of European culture|s2cid=144544406}}</ref>
*''[[An Equal Music]]'' (1999)<ref name="albertazzi">{{citation |periodical=European Review |date=20 January 2005|volume=13 |pages=103–113 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S1062798705000104 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=276618 |first=Silvia |last=Albertazzi |title=An equal music, an alien world: postcolonial literature and the representation of European culture|s2cid=144544406|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
*''[[A Suitable Girl (novel)|A Suitable Girl]] (planned)''


===Poetry===
===Poetry===
*''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]''  (1980)
*''[[Mappings (poetry)|Mappings]]''  (1980)
*''[[The Tale Of Melon City]]'' (1981)
*''[[The Tale of Melon City]]'' (1981)
*''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985)
*''[[The Humble Administrator's Garden]]'' (1985)
*''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990)
*''[[All You Who Sleep Tonight]]'' (1990)
*''[[Beastly Tales]]'' (1991)
*''[[Beastly Tales]]'' (1992)
*''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992)
*''[[Three Chinese Poets]]'' (1992)
*''[[The Frog and the Nightingale]]'' (1994)
*''[[The Frog and the Nightingale]]'' (1994)
*''Summer Requiem: A Book of Poems'' (2015)
*''Summer Requiem: A Book of Poems'' (2015)
*''A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945''
*''A Doctor's Journal Entry for August 6, 1945''
*''[[Elephant and the Trapogan]]''
 
=== Translation ===
''Hanuman Chalisa''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/video/1069602/i-did-it-for-my-own-private-pleasure-vikram-seth-on-translating-the-hanuman-chalisa-into-english|title='I did it for my own private pleasure': Vikram Seth on translating the Hanuman Chalisa into English|website=scroll.in|publisher=[[Scroll India]]|date=21 June 2024|accessdate=10 July 2024}}</ref>


===Children's fiction===
===Children's fiction===
*''Arion and the Dolphin'' (1994)
*''Arion and the Dolphin'' (1994)
*''The Louse and the Mosquito'' (2020)


===Non-fiction===
===Non-fiction===
* ''From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet'' (1983)
* ''[[From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet]]'' (1983)
* [[Two Lives (non-fiction)|''Two Lives'']] (2005)
* [[Two Lives (non-fiction)|''Two Lives'']] (2005)
* ''The Rivered Earth'' (2011)<ref name="TOI">{{citation |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/I-got-drunk-to-write/articleshow/10888180.cms |title=Times of India by Shobha John, TNN: 27 Nov 2011, 05.13&nbsp;am IST : 'I got drunk to write, says Vikram Seth' |work=The Times of India |location=India |date=27 November 2011}}</ref>
* ''The Rivered Earth'' (2011)<ref name="TOI">{{citation |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/I-got-drunk-to-write/articleshow/10888180.cms |title=Times of India by Shobha John, TNN: 27 Nov 2011, 05.13&nbsp;am IST : 'I got drunk to write, says Vikram Seth' |work=The Times of India |location=India |date=27 November 2010}}</ref>


===Appearances in poetry anthologies===
===Appearances in poetry anthologies===
* ''The Golden Treasure of [[Writers Workshop]] Poetry''. Ed. Rubana Huq. Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rubana Huq, ed. The Golden Treasury of Writers Workshop Poetry. Review : ASIATIC, VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1, JUNE 2009 |url=http://journals.iium.edu.my/asiatic/index.php/AJELL/article/view/82/67 |website=journals.iium.edu.my |publisher=journals.iium.edu.my |access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>
* ''The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets''. Ed. [[Arvind Krishna Mehrotra]]. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1992.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets |url=https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/mehrotra-1993-oxford-india-anthology.html |website=cse.iitk.ac.in |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Book review: 'Twelve Modern Indian Poets' by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19920815-book-review-twelve-modern-indian-poets-by-arvind-krishna-mehrotra-766731-2013-01-03 |website=indiatoday.in |date=3 January 2013 |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref>
* ''The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets''. Ed. [[Arvind Krishna Mehrotra]]. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1992.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets |url=https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/mehrotra-1993-oxford-india-anthology.html |website=cse.iitk.ac.in |publisher=cse.iitk.ac.in |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Book review: 'Twelve Modern Indian Poets' by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19920815-book-review-twelve-modern-indian-poets-by-arvind-krishna-mehrotra-766731-2013-01-03 |website=indiatoday.in |publisher=indiatoday.in |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref>
* ''The Golden Treasure of [[Writers Workshop (publisher)|Writers Workshop]] Poetry''. Ed. Rubana Huq. Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 2008.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Rubana Huq, ed. The Golden Treasury of Writers Workshop Poetry. Review |url=http://journals.iium.edu.my/asiatic/index.php/AJELL/article/view/82/67 |journal=Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature |date=15 June 2009 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=126–129 |last1=Mandal |first1=Somdatta }}</ref>


== Personal life ==
==Awards and honours==
Seth divides his time between the [[United Kingdom]], where he bought and renovated the former home of the Anglican poet [[George Herbert]] near [[Salisbury]], and India, where he has a family home in [[Noida]], [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref name="herberthouse2">{{citation|last1=Lewis|first1=Leo|title=Listening to God's melodies|date=29 July 2006|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-2288533,00.html|periodical=[[The Times]]|location=London|access-date=5 September 2007|last2=Island|first2=Jindo}}</ref> In 2006, he became a leader of the campaign against [[Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code]], a law against [[Homosexuality|homosexuality.]]<ref>{{citation|title=It Took Me Long To Come To Terms With Myself. Those Were Painful hardware core Years.|date=2 October 2006|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?232671|periodical=[[Outlook India]]|access-date=5 September 2007}}</ref>


==Awards & Honours==
{{BLP sources section|date=November 2023}}
*1983 – Thomas Cook Travel Book Award for ''From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet''
*1983 – Thomas Cook Travel Book Award for ''From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet''
*1985 – [[Commonwealth Poetry Prize]] (Asia) for ''The Humble Administrator's Garden''
*1985 – [[Commonwealth Poetry Prize]] (Asia) for ''The Humble Administrator's Garden''
*1988 – [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] for ''The Golden Gate''
*1988 – [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] for ''The Golden Gate''
*1993 – Irish Times International Fiction Prize (shortlist) for ''A Suitable Boy''
*1993 – Shortlisted, [[Irish Times International Fiction Prize]] for ''A Suitable Boy''
*1994 – [[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers Prize]] (Overall Winner, Best Book) for ''A Suitable Boy''
*1994 – [[Commonwealth Foundation prizes|Commonwealth Writers Prize]] (Overall Winner, Best Book) for ''A Suitable Boy''
*1994 – [[WH Smith Literary Award]] for ''A Suitable Boy''
*1994 – [[WH Smith Literary Award]] for ''A Suitable Boy''
*1994 – Elected Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-01 |title=Seth, Vikram |url=https://rsliterature.org/fellows/vikram-seth/,%20https://rsliterature.org/fellows/vikram-seth/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=Royal Society of Literature |language=en-GB}}</ref>
*1999 – [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]] for ''An Equal Music''
*1999 – [[Vodafone Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book Award]] for ''An Equal Music''
*2001 – [[Order of the British Empire]], Commander
*2001 – [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
*2001 – EMMA (BT Ethnic and Multicultural Media Award) for Best Book/Novel for ''An Equal Music''
*2001 – EMMA (BT Ethnic and Multicultural Media Award) for Best Book/Novel for ''An Equal Music''
*2005 – [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]]
*2005 – [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]]
*2007 – [[Padma Shri]] in Literature & Education<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |year=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>
*2007 – [[Padma Shri]] in Literature & Education<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |year=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>
*2013 – [[NDTV]]'s 25 Greatest Global Living Legends In India
*2013 – [[NDTV]]'s 25 Greatest Global Living Legends In India
==See also==
* [[List of Indian writers]]


==References==
==References==
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{{Sister project links |wikt=no |b=no |n=no |q=Vikram Seth |s=Author:Vikram Seth |v=no |species=no |commons=Category:Vikram Seth }}


*[http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1551817.ece The Telegraph ("Love split delayed Suitable Boy sequel")]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080821/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1551817.ece The Telegraph ("Love split delayed Suitable Boy sequel")]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150906135953/http://literature.britishcouncil.org/vikram-seth British Council Bio]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150906135953/http://literature.britishcouncil.org/vikram-seth British Council Bio]
*{{IMDb name |id=1532972 |name=Vikram Seth}}
*{{IMDb name |id=1532972 |name=Vikram Seth}}
*[http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40714 "Poetic License" by Cynthia Haven, "Stanford Magazine," May/June 1999]
*[http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40714 "Poetic License" by Cynthia Haven, "Stanford Magazine," May/June 1999] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023001737/https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40714 |date=23 October 2020 }}; https://web.stanford.edu/~clh/articles/poetic_License.html
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151122180015/http://bombmagazine.org/article/1377/ ''BOMB Magazine'' interview with Vikram Seth by Ameena Meer]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151122180015/http://bombmagazine.org/article/1377/ ''BOMB Magazine'' interview with Vikram Seth by Ameena Meer]
*[http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=seth_vikram Vikram Seth] at the [[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy|Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]
*[http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=seth_vikram Vikram Seth] at the [[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy|Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]
*[https://freshairarchive.org/segments/poet-vikram-seth Interview with Vikram Seth by Terry Gross on Fresh Air]
{{portal bar|Biography|India|Literature|Poetry}}


{{Vikram Seth}}
{{Vikram Seth}}
{{Commonwealth Writers' Prize - Best Book Winners}}
{{Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Best Book Winners}}
{{Sahitya Akademi Award for English}}{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}{{Authority control}}
{{Sahitya Akademi Award for English}}{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seth, Vikram}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seth, Vikram}}
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[[Category:1952 births]]
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[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Bisexual writers]]
[[Category:Bisexual poets]]
[[Category:Bisexual novelists]]
[[Category:The Doon School alumni]]
[[Category:The Doon School alumni]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]
[[Category:English-language poets from India]]
[[Category:English-language Indian poets]]
[[Category:English-language writers from India]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
[[Category:Indian travel writers]]
[[Category:Indian travel writers]]
[[Category:LGBT writers from India]]
[[Category:Indian bisexual men]]
[[Category:LGBT rights activists from India]]
[[Category:Indian LGBTQ poets]]
[[Category:Indian LGBTQ novelists]]
[[Category:Indian LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:People educated at Tonbridge School]]
[[Category:People educated at Tonbridge School]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education]]
[[Category:The Doon School faculty]]
[[Category:The Doon School faculty]]
[[Category:Bisexual men]]
[[Category:Bisexual male writers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English]]
[[Category:St. Xavier's Patna alumni]]
[[Category:St. Xavier's Patna alumni]]
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[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Stegner Fellows]]
[[Category:Stegner Fellows]]
[[Category:Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]]

Latest revision as of 13:05, 27 March 2026


Vikram Seth

CBE FRSL
Seth in 2009
Seth in 2009
Born (1952-06-20) 20 June 1952 (age 74)
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • poet
Alma materCorpus Christi College, Oxford
Stanford University
Period1980–present
GenreNovels, poetry, libretto, travel writing, children's literature, biography/memoir
Notable worksA Suitable Boy
The Golden Gate
An Equal Music
Notable awardsPadma Shri
Sahitya Akademi Award
Stegner Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
FRSL
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Website
www.vikramseth.net

Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian novelist and poet.[2] The author of three novels and several collections of poetry, he is a recipient of the Padma Shri, a Sahitya Akademi Award, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the WH Smith Literary Award and the Crossword Book Award. Seth's collections of poetry such as Mappings and Beastly Tales are notable contributions to the Indian English language poetry canon,[3] and he is regarded as the greatest Indian writer in English of all time.

Early Life[edit | edit source]

Seth was born on 20 June 1952 in Calcutta. His father, Prem Nath Seth, was an executive of Bata Shoes and his mother, Leila Seth, a Barrister by training, became the first female judge of the Delhi High Court and first woman to become Chief justice of a state High Court in India.[4]

Seth was educated at the all-boys' private boarding school The Doon School in Dehradun, where he was editor-in-chief of The Doon School Weekly.[5] At Doon, he was influenced by his teacher, the mountaineer Gurdial Singh, who taught him geography and according to Leila Seth, "guided Vikram in many ways...encouraged him to appreciate Western classical music and instilled in him a love of adventure and daring."[5] Singh later described Seth as an "indefatigable worker, and he maintains without difficulty his distinguished level in studies...he has put in an enormous amount of energy in other spheres of school life, in dramatics, in debating, in first aid, in music, and in editing the Doon School Weekly."[5] After graduating from Doon, Seth went to Tonbridge School, England, to complete his A-levels.[6][7] Later he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He then pursued a PhD in Economics at Stanford University, though he never completed it.[8][9][10]

Views[edit | edit source]

Seth commented on the Indian general elections held during the summer of 2024 saying that "we live in a better situation now than we lived a month ago". He made this comment less than a month after the elections were over and a new coalition government had been sworn in. Seth said "at least now there is somewhat of limitation on autocracy."[11]

On the recent sanction[12] to prosecute the author Arundhati Roy, he noted that it was "craziness."[11]

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Seth is bisexual. He was in a relationship with the violinist Philippe Honoré for ten years and dedicated his novel An Equal Music to him.[13][14] In 2006, he became a leader of the campaign against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law against homosexuality.[13] When Section 377 was reinstated in 2013, Seth continued campaigning against the law.[15][16][17]

Seth divides his time between the United Kingdom, where he bought and renovated the former home of the Anglican poet George Herbert near Salisbury, and India, where he has a family home in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.[18]

Works[edit | edit source]

Novels[edit | edit source]

Poetry[edit | edit source]

Translation[edit | edit source]

Hanuman Chalisa[21]

Children's fiction[edit | edit source]

  • Arion and the Dolphin (1994)
  • The Louse and the Mosquito (2020)

Non-fiction[edit | edit source]

Appearances in poetry anthologies[edit | edit source]

Awards and honours[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Vikram Seth". Desert Island Discs.
  2. ↑ Hor, Sandip (2010). "Indian Link — The City of Wonders". indianlink.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  3. ↑ Joshi, Rita (1991). "In Other Places: An Inner Voice". India International Centre Quarterly. 18 (1): 55–65. JSTOR 23002110.
  4. ↑ Angela Atkins (26 June 2002). Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide. A&C Black. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8264-5707-3.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Leila Seth (7 February 2007). On Balance. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 137–. ISBN 978-81-8475-055-3.
  6. ↑ "A suitable joy | Books". The Guardian. 26 March 1999. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Atkins, A. (2002). Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy: A Reader's Guide. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 8. ISBN 9780826457073. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Vikram Seth". ekikrat.in. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Golden Gate returns to Stanford May 30". news.stanford.edu. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Vikram Seth's Founder's Day Address, The Doon School, Penguin Books of Modern Speeches (2009) p.34 "...edited the Weekly and did other things"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Vikram Seth on 2024 Lok Sabha election results: 'Limitation on autocracy now'". deccanherald.com. Deccan Herald. Press Trust of India. 22 June 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  12. ↑ V. Venkatesan (16 June 2024). "Delhi LG's sanction for Arundhati Roy's prosecution under UAPA is legally vulnerable". frontline.thehindu.com. Frontline. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 ""It Took Me Long To Come To Terms With Myself. Those Were Painful Years."". 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ↑ Seth, Vikram (1999). An Equal Music. Vintage.
  15. ↑ Seth, Vikram (20 December 2013). "Vikram Seth on Section 377 and gay rights in India". India Today.
  16. ↑ Burke, Jason (20 December 2013). "Vikram Seth: India's gay sex ban is against our tradition of tolerance". The Guardian.
  17. ↑ Biswas, Soutik (20 December 2013). "Why Indian author Vikram Seth is angry". BBC News.
  18. ↑ Lewis, Leo; Island, Jindo (29 July 2006), "Listening to God's melodies", The Times, London, retrieved 5 September 2007[dead link]
  19. ↑ "Vikram Seth", DoonOnline: Features & Spotlights, archived from the original on 16 May 2006, retrieved 5 September 2007
  20. ↑ Albertazzi, Silvia (20 January 2005), "An equal music, an alien world: postcolonial literature and the representation of European culture", European Review, vol. 13, Cambridge University Press, pp. 103–113, doi:10.1017/S1062798705000104, S2CID 144544406
  21. ↑ "'I did it for my own private pleasure': Vikram Seth on translating the Hanuman Chalisa into English". scroll.in. Scroll India. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  22. ↑ "Times of India by Shobha John, TNN: 27 Nov 2011, 05.13 am IST : 'I got drunk to write, says Vikram Seth'", The Times of India, India, 27 November 2010
  23. ↑ "The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets". cse.iitk.ac.in. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  24. ↑ "Book review: 'Twelve Modern Indian Poets' by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra". indiatoday.in. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  25. ↑ Mandal, Somdatta (15 June 2009). "Rubana Huq, ed. The Golden Treasury of Writers Workshop Poetry. Review". Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature. 3 (1): 126–129.
  26. ↑ "Seth, Vikram". Royal Society of Literature. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  27. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Chaudhuri, Amit (ed.). "Vikram Seth (born 1952)." The Vintage Book of Modern Indian Literature. New York: Vintage, 2004:508–537.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Vikram Seth Template:Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Best Book Winners

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