Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|American novelist}}
{{Short description|American professor, novelist, and poet (born 1956)}}
 
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{advert|date=May 2016}}
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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| image = ChitraBanerjeeDivakaruni.JPG <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] -->
| image = ChitraBanerjeeDivakaruni.JPG <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] -->
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| pseudonym =  
| pseudonym =  
| birth_name = Chitralekha Banerjee
| birth_name = Chitralekha Banerjee
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|7|29|df=y}}<ref>http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3416300043/divakaruni-chitra-banerjee-1956.html {{Bare URL inline|date=December 2021}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/historians-miscellaneous-biographies/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni#3416300043|title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|website=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=25 December 2022}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]], India
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]], India
| death_date =  
| death_date =  
| death_place =  
| death_place =  
| occupation = Writer
| occupation = Writer
| nationality = [[Indian-American]]
| nationality = American
| alma_mater = [[University of Calcutta]]<br />[[Wright State University]]<br />[[University of California, Berkeley]]
| education = [[University of Calcutta]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Wright State University]]<br>[[University of California, Berkeley]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| period =  
| period =  
| genre = Poetry, short stories, novels; fantasy, young adult, magical realism, historical fiction
| genre = Poetry, short stories, novels; fantasy, young adult, magical realism, historical fiction
| subject =  
| subject =  
| movement =  
| movement =  
| notableworks = ''[[Mistress of Spices]]''
| notableworks = ''Arranged Marriage: Stories''<br/>''[[Mistress of Spices]]''<br/>''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]''<br/>''[[The Palace of Illusions: A Novel|The Palace of Illusions]]''<br/>''[[One Amazing Thing]]''<br/>''[[The Conch Bearer]]''<br/>''[[The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming]]''<br/>''[[Independence (novel)|Independence]]''
| influences =  
| influences =  
| influenced =  
| influenced =  
| awards =  
| awards = [[American Book Award]]<br/>[[PEN Oakland awards|PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award]]
| website = {{URL|www.chitradivakaruni.com}}
| website = {{URL|www.chitradivakaruni.com}}
| spouse = Murthy
| spouse = Murthy
| children = Abhay, Anand
| children = 2
}}
}}
'''Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni''' (born '''Chitralekha Banerjee''', 1956<ref>{{cite book |title= Asian American Short Story Writers: An A-to-Z Guide|last= Davis|first= Rocío G.|editor1-first= Guiyou|editor1-last= Huang|year= 2003|publisher= Greenwood Press|location= Westport, CT|isbn= 978-0-313-32229-7|page= 65|chapter=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956– )|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=skdEeK1SEAQC&pg=PA65}}</ref>) is an Indian-born American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the [[University of Houston]] Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, ''Arranged Marriage'', won an [[American Book Award]] in 1996. Two of her novels (''[[Mistress of Spices|The Mistress of Spices]]'' and ''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]''), as well as a short story (''The Word Love)'' were adapted into films.


'''Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni''' (born '''Chitralekha Banerjee''', July 29, 1956<ref>{{cite book |title= Asian American Short Story Writers: An A-to-Z Guide|last= Davis|first= Rocío G.|editor1-first= Guiyou|editor1-last= Huang|year= 2003|publisher= Greenwood Press|location= Westport, CT|isbn= 978-0-313-32229-7|page= 65 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=skdEeK1SEAQC&q=Chitra+Banerjee+Divakaruni+1956&pg=PP1|chapter= Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956– )|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=skdEeK1SEAQC&q=Chitra+Banerjee+Divakaruni+1956&pg=PA65|access-date= 2 June 2010}}</ref>) is an [[Indian-American]] author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the [[University of Houston]] Creative Writing Program.
Divakaruni's works are largely set in India and the United States, and often focus on the experiences of [[South Asian]] immigrants. She writes for children as well as adults, and has published novels in multiple [[genres]], including [[realistic fiction]], historical fiction, [[magical realism]], myth and [[fantasy]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/166154/Divakaruni%2c%20Chitra%20Banerjee.pdf|title=Voices from the Gaps: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Bredemus|first=James Thomas|date=1999-04-04|website=conservancy.umn.edu|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all
|hdl=11299/166154}}</ref>


Her short story collection, ''Arranged Marriage'' won an [[American Book Award]] in 1996,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beforecolumbusfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Aba2001prior.pdf|title=Previous Winners of the American Book Award|website=beforecolumbusfoundation.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> and two of her novels (''[[Mistress of Spices|The Mistress of Spices]]'' and ''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]''), as well as a short story ''The Word Love'' were adapted into films. ''[[Mistress of Spices]]'' was short-listed for the [[Orange Prize]]. Currently, ''Sister of My Heart,'' ''Oleander Girl,'' ''[[The Palace of Illusions: A Novel|Palace of Illusions]],'' and ''One Amazing Thing'' have all been optioned to be made into movies or TV serials.
==Early life and education==
 
Divakaruni was born in [[Calcutta]], India. She received her B.A. from the [[University of Calcutta]] in 1976.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} In the same year, she went to the United States to attend [[Wright State University]], where she received a master's degree. She received a PhD in English from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] in 1985 ([[Christopher Marlowe]] was the subject of her doctoral dissertation).<ref>{{Cite thesis|author=Chitralekha Divakaruni|url=http://oskicat.berkeley.edu/record=b13348453~S53|title=For danger is in words : changing attitudes to language in the plays of Christopher Marlowe|website=OskiCat - UC Berkeley Library Catalog|date=December 1984|access-date=2019-02-23|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Divakaruni's works are largely set in India and the United States, and often focus on the experiences of [[South Asian]] immigrants. She writes for children as well as adults, and has published novels in multiple [[genres]], including [[realistic fiction]], historical fiction, [[magical realism]], myth and [[fantasy]].
 
==Life==
Divakaruni was born in [[Kolkata]] (Calcutta), India. She received her B.A. from the [[University of Calcutta]] in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biography.jrank.org/pages/4269/Divakaruni-Chitra-Banerjee.html|title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Biography|website=biography.jrank.org|language=en|access-date=2019-05-25}}</ref> In the same year, she went to the United States to attend [[Wright State University]], where she received a master's degree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51589.Chitra_Banerjee_Divakaruni|title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|website=www.goodreads.com|access-date=2019-05-25}}</ref> She received a PhD in English from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] in 1985 ([[Christopher Marlowe]] was the subject of her doctoral dissertation).<ref>{{Cite thesis|author=Chitralekha Divakaruni|url=http://oskicat.berkeley.edu/record=b13348453~S53|title=For danger is in words : changing attitudes to language in the plays of Christopher Marlowe|website=OskiCat - UC Berkeley Library Catalog|date=December 1984|access-date=2019-02-23}}</ref>
 
Divakaruni lives in Houston with her husband, Murthy. She has two sons, Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children's novels).<ref>[http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/about/bio/ See author's Bio on her webpage]</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Divakaruni put herself through graduate school by taking on odd jobs, working as a babysitter, a store clerk, a bread slicer in a bakery, a laboratory assistant at [[Wright State University]], and a dining hall attendant at [[International House, Berkeley]]. She was a graduate teaching assistant at U.C. Berkeley. She taught at [[Foothill College]] in [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]], California and [[Diablo Valley College]]. She now lives and teaches in [[Texas]], where she is the McDavid professor of Creative Writing at the nationally ranked University of Houston Creative Writing Program.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uh.edu/class/news/archive/2019/october/department-english-creative-writing-program-professor-honored-among-houston-finest-authors/|title=Department of English Creative Writing Program Professor Honored Among Houston's Finest Authors|date=2019-10-01|website=University of Houston – College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences – uh.edu|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
Divakaruni put herself through graduate school by taking on odd jobs, working as a babysitter, a store clerk, a bread slicer in a bakery, a laboratory assistant at [[Wright State University]], and a dining hall attendant at [[International House, Berkeley]]. She was a graduate teaching assistant at U.C. Berkeley. She taught in California at [[Foothill College]] and [[Diablo Valley College]]. She now lives and teaches in [[Texas]], where she is the McDavid Professor of Creative Writing at the [[University of Houston]] Creative Writing Program.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uh.edu/class/news/archive/2019/october/department-english-creative-writing-program-professor-honored-among-houston-finest-authors/|title=Department of English Creative Writing Program Professor Honored Among Houston's Finest Authors|date=2019-10-01|website=University of Houston – College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences – uh.edu|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


Divakaruni is the co-founder and former president of Maitri, a helpline founded in 1991 for [[South Asian]] women dealing with [[domestic abuse]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weber.edu/weberjournal/Journal_Archives/Archive_C2/Vol_18_2/CDivakaruniConv.html|title=Writing As Spiritual Experience: A Conversation with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Seshachari|first=Neila C.|date=Winter 2001|website=Weber Journal Archive|access-date=2019-06-08}}</ref> Divakaruni serves on its advisory board and on the advisory board of a similar organisation in Houston, Daya. She has served on the board of Pratham Houston, a non-profit organisation working to bring literacy to disadvantaged Indian children for many years, and is presently on their emeritus board.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Agarwal|first=Dr. Gunjan and Gunjan Kapil|date=December 2014|title=The Representation of Woman in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's ''Doors, Affair'', and ''Meeting Mrinal''|url=http://www.the-criterion.com/V5/n6/GunjanKapil.pdf|journal=The Criterion|volume=5| issue = 6|pages=77}}</ref>
Divakaruni is the co-founder and former president of Maitri, a helpline founded in 1991 in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] for [[South Asian]] women dealing with [[domestic abuse]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weber.edu/weberjournal/Journal_Archives/Archive_C2/Vol_18_2/CDivakaruniConv.html|title=Writing As Spiritual Experience: A Conversation with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Seshachari|first=Neila C.|date=Winter 2001|website=Weber Journal Archive|access-date=2019-06-08|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Divakaruni is on its advisory board and on the advisory board of Daya, a similar service in Houston. She has served on the board of Pratham Houston, an organisation working to bring literacy to disadvantaged Indian children{{when|date=December 2022}}, and is on their emeritus board.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Agarwal|first=Dr. Gunjan and Gunjan Kapil|date=December 2014|title=The Representation of Woman in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's ''Doors, Affair'', and ''Meeting Mrinal''|url=http://www.the-criterion.com/V5/n6/GunjanKapil.pdf|journal=The Criterion|volume=5| issue = 6|page=77}}</ref>


==Works==
==Works==
===Fiction and poetry===
===Fiction and poetry===
Divakaruni's work has been published in over 50 magazines, including ''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]'' and ''[[The New Yorker]]'', and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies including the ''[[Best American Short Stories]]'', the ''[[O. Henry Award|O. Henry Prize Stories]]'', and the [[Pushcart Prize]] anthology. Her fiction has been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Indonesian, Bengali, Turkish and Japanese.
Divakaruni began her writing career as a poet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/i-see-my-writing-as-an-extension-of-my-activism-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/story-mHVEc6mZRTksdTABF03PnN.html|title=I see my writing as an extension of my activism: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Banerjee|first=Kaushani|date=2017-04-11|df=dmy-all|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> Her volumes of poetry include ''Black Candle'' and ''Leaving Yuba City''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni|title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|website=poetryfoundation.org|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


Divakaruni began her writing career as a poet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/i-see-my-writing-as-an-extension-of-my-activism-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/story-mHVEc6mZRTksdTABF03PnN.html|title=I see my writing as an extension of my activism: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Banerjee|first=Kaushani|date=2017-04-11|website=hindustantimes.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> Her two latest volumes of poetry are ''Black Candle'' and ''Leaving Yuba City''. She has won several awards for her poems, such as a [[Gerbode Award]], a [[Barbara Deming Memorial Award]] and an [[Allen Ginsberg Award]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni|title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|website=poetryfoundation.org|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
Her first collection of stories ''Arranged Marriage'' won an [[American Book Award]], a PEN Josephine Miles Award, and a Bay Area Book Reviewers Award.<ref name="OK 2021" /> Her major novels include ''The [[Mistress of Spices]]'', ''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]'',  ''Queen of Dreams'', ''One Amazing Thing'', ''[[The Palace of Illusions: A Novel|Palace of Illusions]]'',  ''Oleander Girl'' and ''Before We Visit the Goddess''. She has also written a young adult fantasy series called ''The Brotherhood of the Conch'' which is located in India and draws on the culture and folklore of that region. The first book of the series, ''The Conch Bearer'' was nominated for the 2003 Bluebonnet Award.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} The second book of the series, ''The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming'' came out in 2005 and the third and final book of the series, ''Shadowland'', was published in 2009.


Divakaruni's first collection of stories ''Arranged Marriage'' won an [[American Book Award]], a PEN Josephine Miles Award, and a Bay Area Book Reviewers Award.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}. Her major novels include ''The [[Mistress of Spices]]'', ''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]'',  ''Queen of Dreams'', ''One Amazing Thing'', ''[[The Palace of Illusions: A Novel|Palace of Illusions]]'',  ''Oleander Girl'' and ''Before We Visit the Goddess''. Although most of her novels are written for adults, she has also written a young adult fantasy series called [[The Brotherhood of the Conch]] which, unlike many of her adult novels, takes place wholly in India and draws on the culture and folklore of that region. The first book of the series, ''The Conch Bearer'' was nominated for the 2003 Bluebonnet Award. It was listed in the Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, Booklist Editor's Choice, Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award Master List and the Rebecca Caudill Award Master List.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rebeccacaudill.org/images/CaudillCumulativeList.pdf|title=Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Cumulative List 1988–2019|date=2018-03-23|website=rebeccacaudill.org|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> The second book of the series, ''The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming'' came out in 2005 and the third and final book of the series, ''Shadowland'', was published in 2009.
Divakaruni's novel ''The Palace of Illusions'', was a national best-seller for over a year in India and<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiareads.com/views-and-reviews/palace-of-illusions-by-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/ |title=Book Review: Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni @ INDIA reads Online Library cum Bookstore &#124; INDIAreads |access-date=2011-02-05|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215125833/http://blogs.indiareads.com/views-and-reviews/palace-of-illusions-by-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/ |archive-date=15 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> is a re-telling of the [[Indian epic poetry|Indian epic]] ''The [[Mahabharata]]'' from [[Draupadi]]'s perspective.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050313/asp/calcutta/story_4482774.asp | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203132519/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050313/asp/calcutta/story_4482774.asp | url-status=dead | archive-date=3 February 2013 | location=Calcutta, India | work=The Telegraph | first=Madhumita | last=Bhattacharyya | title=Dreams and dislocation | date=13 March 2005}}</ref>


Divakaruni's novel ''The Palace of Illusions'', was a national best-seller for over a year in India and<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiareads.com/views-and-reviews/palace-of-illusions-by-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215125833/http://blogs.indiareads.com/views-and-reviews/palace-of-illusions-by-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/ |archive-date=15 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> is a re-telling of the [[Indian epic poetry|Indian epic]] ''The [[Mahabharata]]'' from [[Draupadi]]'s perspective.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050313/asp/calcutta/story_4482774.asp | location=Calcutta, India | work=The Telegraph | first=Madhumita | last=Bhattacharyya | title=Dreams and dislocation | date=13 March 2005}}</ref>
Divakaruni's work has been published in ''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]'' and ''[[The New Yorker]]'', and her writing has been included in anthologies including the ''[[Best American Short Stories]]'', the ''[[O. Henry Award|O. Henry Prize Stories]]'', and the [[Pushcart Prize]] anthology. Her fiction has been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Indonesian, Bengali, Turkish and Japanese.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}


===Film, television, theatre and opera===
===Film, television, theatre and opera===
Divakaruni's novel ''The [[Mistress of Spices]]'' was released as a film [[The Mistress of Spices (film)|of the same name]] in 2005. It was directed by [[Paul Mayeda Berges]], with a script by Berges and his wife, [[Gurinder Chadha]]. The film starred [[Aishwarya Rai]] and [[Dylan McDermott]].
Divakaruni's novel ''The [[Mistress of Spices]]'' was released as a film [[The Mistress of Spices (film)|of the same name]] in 2005. It was directed by [[Paul Mayeda Berges]], with a script by Berges and his wife, [[Gurinder Chadha]].{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Her novel ''Sister of my Heart'' was made into a television series by [[Suhasini Maniratnam]] in Tamil and aired in India, as ''Anbulla Snegithiye (Loving Friend)''. In 2018 the producers NR Pachisia und Dipankar Jojo Chaki secured the rights to a film adaption of ''[[The Palace of Illusions]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/reel/895908/film-adaptation-of-chitra-banerjee-divakarunis-novel-on-drapaudi-in-the-works|title=Entertainment News: Film adaptation of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel on Drapaudi in the works|date=2018-09-26|website=scroll.in|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>


In addition, her novel ''Sister of my Heart'' was made into a television series by [[Suhasini Maniratnam]] in Tamil and aired in India, as ''Anbulla Snegithiye (Loving Friend)''. In 2018 the producers NR Pachisia und Dipankar Jojo Chaki secured the rights to a film adaption of ''[[The Palace of Illusions]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/reel/895908/film-adaptation-of-chitra-banerjee-divakarunis-novel-on-drapaudi-in-the-works|title=Entertainment News: Film adaptation of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel on Drapaudi in the works|date=2018-09-26|website=scroll.in|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
Divakaruni's story ''Clothes'' from the collection ''Arranged Marriage'' was adapted into play under the title ''Arranged Marriage'' by Peggy Shannon in 2004, 2010, and 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fusia.ca/canadian-premiere-of-award-winning-bollywood-play-arranged-marriage/|title=Canadian Premiere of Award-Winning Bollywood Play – Arranged Marriage|last=Dhanji|first=Aabida|df=dmy-all|date=2016-05-22|website=fusia.ca|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/podcasts/2016/08/peggy-shannon-arranged-marriage/|title=Podcast: Peggy Shannon on 'Arranged Marriage'|last=Sloan|first=Will|date=2016-05-12|website=Ryerson Today – ryerson.ca|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


Her story ''Clothes'' from the collection ''Arranged Marriage'' was adapted into play under the title ''Arranged Marriage'' by Peggy Shannon in 2004, 2010, and 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fusia.ca/canadian-premiere-of-award-winning-bollywood-play-arranged-marriage/|title=Canadian Premiere of Award-Winning Bollywood Play – Arranged Marriage|last=Dhanji|first=Aabida|date=2016-05-22|website=fusia.ca|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/podcasts/2016/08/peggy-shannon-arranged-marriage/|title=Podcast: Peggy Shannon on 'Arranged Marriage'|last=Sloan|first=Will|date=2016-05-12|website=Ryerson Today – ryerson.ca|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> Furthermore the story was transformed into a dance theater piece and brought on stage by director Roberta Uno of [[New WORLD Theater|New World Theater]] at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]].
In 2013, Divakaruni wrote the libretto to a chamber opera for [[Houston Grand Opera]], ''River of Light'', about the life of an Indian woman in Houston. It premiered in 2014<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indoamerican-news.com/houston-grand-operas-river-of-light-to-feature-libretto-by-chitra-divakaruni/|title=Houston Grand Opera's "River of Light" to Feature Libretto by Chitra Divakaruni|last=Kulkarni|first=Pramod|date=2013-12-12|website=indoamerican-news.com|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all}}</ref> with original compositions by Jack Perla<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anopenbookblog.org/writers-opera-and-chitra-divakaraunis-river-of-light/|title=Writers, Opera, and Chitra Divakaruni's River of Light|date=2014-03-21|website=anopenbookblog.org|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> and was shown again in 2015 by the opera company Festival Opera, directed by Tanya Kane-Parry at the [[Oakland Asian Cultural Center]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/festival-opera/-lt-em-gt-river-of-light-lt-/em-gt-shines-at-festival-opera|title=River of Light Shines at Festival Opera|last=Wishnia|first=Rebecca|date=2015-11-16|website=San Francisco Classical Voice – sfcv.org|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


In 2013, Divakaruni wrote the libretto to a chamber opera for [[Houston Grand Opera]], ''River of Light'', about the life of an Indian woman in Houston. It premiered in 2014<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indoamerican-news.com/houston-grand-operas-river-of-light-to-feature-libretto-by-chitra-divakaruni/|title=Houston Grand Opera's "River of Light" to Feature Libretto by Chitra Divakaruni|last=Kulkarni|first=Pramod|date=2013-12-12|website=indoamerican-news.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> with original compositions by Jack Perla<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anopenbookblog.org/writers-opera-and-chitra-divakaraunis-river-of-light/|title=Writers, Opera, and Chitra Divakaruni's River of Light|date=2014-03-21|website=anopenbookblog.org|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> and was shown again in 2015 by the opera company Festival Opera, directed by Tanya Kane-Parry at the [[Oakland Asian Cultural Center]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/festival-opera/-lt-em-gt-river-of-light-lt-/em-gt-shines-at-festival-opera|title=River of Light Shines at Festival Opera|last=Wishnia|first=Rebecca|date=2015-11-16|website=San Francisco Classical Voice – sfcv.org|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
''The Palace of Illusions'' was adapted into a play named ''Fire and Ice: Draupadi's Story'' by Joe DiSabatino and performed in India under his direction. A Bollywood movie with the title ''Mahabharat'', starring [[Deepika Padukone]] as Draupadi, is being prepared in India based on ''The Palace of Illusions''. The premiere was scheduled for 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/news/2019/deepika-padukone-starrer-mahabharat-based-on-the-novel-the-palace-of-illusions/articlecontent-pf303283-291760.html|title=Deepika Padukone Starrer Mahabharat Based On The Novel 'The Palace Of Illusions'|last=Aishwarya|date=2019-11-14|website=filmibeat.com|access-date=2020-02-07|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


''The Palace of Illusions'' was adapted into a play named ''Fire and Ice: Draupadi's Story'' by Joe DiSabatino and performed in India under his direction. A Bollywood movie with the title ''Mahabharat'', starring [[Deepika Padukone]] as Draupadi, is currently prepared in India based on ''The Palace of Illusions''. The premiere is scheduled for 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/news/2019/deepika-padukone-starrer-mahabharat-based-on-the-novel-the-palace-of-illusions/articlecontent-pf303283-291760.html|title=Deepika Padukone Starrer Mahabharat Based On The Novel 'The Palace Of Illusions'|last=Aishwarya|date=2019-11-14|website=filmibeat.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
As of 2021, her novel ''One Amazing Thing'' has been optioned to become a Bollywood film.<ref name="OK 2021" />


Divakaruni's novel ''One Amazing Thing'' has been optioned by the Hollywood production company Gillen Group.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
==Honors and awards==
* 1996 [[American Book Award]] (''Arranged Marriage'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beforecolumbusfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Aba2001prior.pdf|title=Previous Winners of the American Book Award|website=beforecolumbusfoundation.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
* 1996 [[PEN Oakland awards|PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award]] (''Arranged Marriage'')<ref name="OK 2021">{{cite news |last1=OK |first1=Anand Raj |title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: 'I never thought I'd be a writer' |url=https://gulfnews.com/friday/art-people/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni-i-never-thought-id-be-a-writer-1.2312208 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Gulf News]] |date=9 June 2021}}</ref>
* Bay Area Book Reviewers' Award (''Arranged Marriage'')<ref name="OK 2021"/>
* 1997 [[Pushcart Prize]] (''Leaving Yuba City: New and Selected Poems'')<ref name="Patel 2017">{{cite web |last1=Patel |first1=Nilu N. |title=Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee |url=https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/10/divakaruni-chitra-banerjee/ |website=Postcolonial Studies @ Emory |publisher=scholarblogs.emory.edu |access-date=11 December 2022 |date=May 2017}}</ref>
* 2003 Pushcart Prize (''The Lives of Strangers'')<ref name="Patel 2017"/>
* 2007 Distinguished Writer Award from the South Asian Literary Association<ref name="Patel 2017"/>


== Publications ==
== Publications ==
=== Fiction ===
=== Fiction ===
* ''Arranged Marriage: Stories'' (1995)
* ''Arranged Marriage: Stories'' (1995)<ref>Reviews of ''Arranged Marriage: Stories''
*{{cite news |title=Arranged Marriage: Stories |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385483506 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=29 April 1996}}
*{{cite news |title=Arranged Marriage |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/arranged-marriage/ |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=1 July 1995}}</ref>
* ''[[Mistress of Spices (novel)|The Mistress of Spices]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Mistress of Spices (novel)|The Mistress of Spices]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Sister of My Heart (novel)|Sister of My Heart]]'' (1999)
* ''The Unknown Errors of our Lives'' (2001)
* ''The Unknown Errors of our Lives'' (2001)<ref>Reviews of ''The Unknown Errors of our Lives''
* ''The Vine of Desire'' (2002)
*{{cite news |title=The Unknown Errors of our Lives |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/the-unknown-errors-of-our-lives/ |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 February 2001}}
* ''Queen of Dreams'' (2004)
*{{cite news |title=The Unknown Errors of Our Lives |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385497275 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=April 1, 2001}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Aldama |first1=Frederick Luis |title=Reviewed Work: The Unknown Errors of Our Lives by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni |journal=[[World Literature Today]] |date=Winter 2002 |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=112–113 |doi=10.2307/40157026|jstor=40157026 }}</ref>
* ''The Vine of Desire'' (2002)<ref>Reviews of ''The Vine of Desire''
*{{cite news |title=The Vine of Desire |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/the-vine-of-desire/ |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 November 2001}}
*{{cite news |title=The Vine of Desire |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385497299 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=26 November 2001}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Aldama |first1=Frederick Luis |title=Reviewed Work: The Vine of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni |journal=[[World Literature Today]] |date=April–June 2003 |volume=77 |issue=1 |page=78 |doi=10.2307/40157799|jstor=40157799 }}</ref>
* ''Queen of Dreams'' (2004)<ref>Reviews of ''Queen of Dreams''
*{{cite news |last1=Sahgal |first1=Tara |title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's 'Queen Of Dreams' is a modern American immigrant saga |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/books/story/20041206-book-review-queen-of-dreams-by-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni-788925-2004-12-05|df=dmy-all |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[India Today]] |date=January 18, 2012}}
*{{cite news |title=Queen of Dreams |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385506823 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=9 August 2004}}
*{{cite news |title=Queen of Dreams |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/queen-of-dreams-2/ |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=July 15, 2004}}</ref>
* ''The Lives of Strangers'' (2007)
* ''The Lives of Strangers'' (2007)
* ''[[The Palace of Illusions: A Novel]]'' (2008)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/27/palace-illusions-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni|title=The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Purdon|first=James|date=2009-09-27|website=theguardian.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
* ''[[The Palace of Illusions: A Novel]]'' (2008)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/27/palace-illusions-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni|title=The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Purdon|first=James|date=2009-09-27|work=The Guardian|df=dmy-all|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
* ''[[One Amazing Thing]]'' (2010)
* ''[[One Amazing Thing]]'' (2010)
* ''Oleander Girl'' (2013)
* ''Oleander Girl'' (2013)<ref>Reviews of ''Oleander Girl''
*  ''Before We Visit the Goddess'' (2016)
*{{cite news |title=Oleander Girl |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781451695656 |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=April 1, 2013}}
* ''The Forest of Enchantments'' (2019)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nripulse.com/it-was-the-right-time-to-write-about-sitas-strength-and-power/|title=It was the right time to write about Sita's strength and power|last=Veena|date=2020-01-03|website=nripulse.com|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
*{{cite news |title=Oleander Girl |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/oleander-girl/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 January 2013}}</ref>
*  ''The Last Queen'' (2021)
*  ''Before We Visit the Goddess'' (2016)<ref>Saraswat, Surbhi. "Myth & Gender: A Critical Reading of Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni’s Before We Visit the Goddess." International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities 6.2 (2018): 748-754.</ref><ref>Reviews of ''Before We Visit the Goddess''
*{{cite news |title=Before We Visit the Goddess |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/before-we-visit-the-goddess/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=March 1, 2016}}
*{{cite news |last1=Patel |first1=Pooja |title=Book Review: Before We Visit the Goddess |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-book-review-before-we-visit-the-goddess-2222544 |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Zee Media Corporation#Online|DNA India]] |date=5 December 2017}}</ref>
* ''The Forest of Enchantments'' (2019)<ref>Review of ''The Forest of Enchantments''
*{{cite journal |last1=Ray |first1=Samrat |title=The forest of enchantments (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni) |journal=Journal of Medical Evidence |date=May–August 2021 |volume=2 |issue=2 |page=372 |doi=10.4103/JME.JME_69_21 |s2cid=237394964 |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A674119495/AONE|via=Gale|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* ''The Last Queen'' (2021)
* ''[[Independence (novel)|Independence]]'' (2023)<ref>Reviews of ''Independence''
*{{cite news |last1=Kapoor |first1=Mina |title=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Partition tale, 'Independence' |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/book-review-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni-independence-partition-sisters-freedom-harper-collins-india-pakistan-muslim-league/article66199309.ece |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=29 November 2022}}
*{{cite news |title=Independence |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063142381 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=1 November 2022}}
*{{cite news |title=Independence |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/independence-divakaruni/ |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 November 2022}}</ref>


=== Young adult and children's ===
=== Young adult and children's ===
* ''Neela: Victory Song'' (2002)
* ''Neela: Victory Song'' (2002)
* ''Grandma and the Great Gourd'' (2013) (children's picture book)
* ''Grandma and the Great Gourd'' (2013) (children's picture book)<ref>Reviews of ''Grandma and the Great Gourd''
*{{cite news |title=Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781596433786 |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=11 February 2013}}
*{{cite news |title=Grandma and the Great Gourd |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/grandma-and-great-gourd/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=1 February 2013}}</ref>


==== Brotherhood of the Conch series ====
==== Brotherhood of the Conch series ====
* ''[[The Conch Bearer]]'' (2003)
* ''[[The Conch Bearer]]'' (2003)
* ''[[The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming]]'' (2005)
* ''[[The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming]]'' (2005)
* ''Shadowland'' (2009)
* ''Shadowland'' (2009)<ref>Review of ''Shadowland''
*{{cite news |title=Shadowland |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/shadowland/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 March 2009}}</ref>


=== Poetry ===
=== Poetry ===
* ''mr. aryan yadav'', 1987.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/166154/Divakaruni%2c%20Chitra%20Banerjee.pdf|title=Voices from the Gaps: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|last=Bredemus|first=James Thomas|date=1999-04-04|website=conservancy.umn.edu|access-date=2020-02-07}} Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, http://hdl.handle.net/11299/166154</ref>
* "Dark like the River", 1987.
* ''The Reason for Nasturtiums'', Berkeley (Berkeley Poets Workshop) 1990. {{ISBN|978-0-917658-28-0}}
* ''The Reason for Nasturtiums'', Berkeley (Berkeley Poets Workshop) 1990. {{ISBN|978-0-917658-28-0}}
* ''Black Candle. Poems About Women from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh'', Corvallis (Calyx Books) 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-934971-74-4}}
* ''Black Candle. Poems About Women from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh'', Corvallis (Calyx Books) 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-934971-74-4}}
* ''Leaving Yuba City'', St. Louis (Turtleback Books) 1997. {{ISBN|978-1-4177-1097-3}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/10/divakaruni-chitra-banerjee/|title=Authors & Artists: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Biography|last=Patel|first=Nilu N.|date=1998-03-01|website=scholarblogs.emory.edu|access-date=2020-02-07}} Article last edited in May 2017</ref>
* ''Leaving Yuba City'', St. Louis (Turtleback Books) 1997. {{ISBN|978-1-4177-1097-3}}<ref>Review of ''Leaving Yuba City''
*{{cite news |title=Leaving Yuba City: Poems |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385488549 |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=14 July 1997}}</ref>


=== Anthologies ===
=== Anthologies ===
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* ''We Too Sing America'' (1997)
* ''We Too Sing America'' (1997)
* ''California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century'' (2004)
* ''California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century'' (2004)
==Personal life==
Divakaruni lives in Houston with her husband, Murthy. She has two sons, Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children's novels).<ref>[http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/about/bio/ Author's Bio on her webpage]</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
 
{{Portal|Literature}}
* [[List of Indian Americans]]
* [[List of Indian Americans]]
* [[Indian English literature]]
* [[Indian English literature]]
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* Abcarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz. "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni." In ''Literature: The Human Experience'', 9th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006: 1544.
* Abcarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz. "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni." In ''Literature: The Human Experience'', 9th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006: 1544.
* Aldana, Frederick Luis. "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: The Unknown Errors of Our Lives." ''World Literature Today''. University of Oklahoma. 1 January 2002.
* {{cite book|last1=Cheung|first1=King-Kok|title=Words matter conversations with Asian American writers|date=2000|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press in association with UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Los Angeles|location=Honolulu|isbn=9780585469423|oclc=52974184}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cheung|first1=King-Kok|title=Words matter conversations with Asian American writers|date=2000|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press in association with UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Los Angeles|location=Honolulu|isbn=9780585469423|oclc=52974184}}
* Softsky, Elizabeth. "Cross Cultural Understanding Spiced with the Indian Diaspora." ''Black Issues in Higher Education'' 14 (15):26.  18 September 1997.
* Softsky, Elizabeth. "Cross Cultural Understanding Spiced with the Indian Diaspora." ''Black Issues in Higher Education'' 14 (15):26.  18 September 1997.
* X.J. Kennedy et al. ''The Bedford Reader'', 10th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007: 446.
* X.J. Kennedy et al. ''The Bedford Reader'', 10th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007: 446.
* Majithia, Sheetal. "Of Foreigners and Fetishes: A Reading of Recent South Asian American Fiction." ''Samar'' 14: The South Asian American Generation (Fall/Winter 2001): 52–53. https://web.archive.org/web/20140112040407/http://samarmagazine.org/archive/articles/59
* Majithia, Sheetal. "Of Foreigners and Fetishes: A Reading of Recent South Asian American Fiction." ''Samar'' 14: The South Asian American Generation (Fall/Winter 2001): 52–53. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140112040407/http://samarmagazine.org/archive/articles/59 Of Foreigners and Fetishes | Samar Magazine]
* Newton, Pauline T. ''Transcultural Women of Later Twentieth Century US American Literature''. Ashgate Publishing, 2005.
* Newton, Pauline T. ''Transcultural Women of Later Twentieth Century US American Literature''. Ashgate Publishing, 2005.
* Merlin, Lara. "The Mistress of Spices."  ''World Literature Today''. University of Oklahoma. 1 January 1998.
* Merlin, Lara. "The Mistress of Spices."  ''World Literature Today''. University of Oklahoma. 1 January 1998.
* Johnson, Sarah Anne. "Writing outside the Lines." ''Writer'' 117(3):20 Mar 2004.
* Johnson, Sarah Anne. "Writing outside the Lines." ''Writer'' 117(3):20 Mar 2004.
* Nelson, Emmanuel Sampath. ''Asian American Novelists A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook''. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2000. {{ISBN|9780313309113}}
* Nelson, Emmanuel Sampath. ''Asian American Novelists A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook''. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2000. {{ISBN|9780313309113}}
* {{Cite journal | last = Zupančič | first = Metka | title = The power of storytelling: an interview with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | journal = [[Contemporary Women's Writing]] | volume = 6 | issue = 2 | pages = 85–101 | doi = 10.1093/cww/vpr023 | date = July 2012 }}
* {{Cite journal | last = Zupančič | first = Metka | title = The power of storytelling: an interview with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | journal = [[Contemporary Women's Writing]] | volume = 6 | issue = 2 | pages = 85–101 | doi = 10.1093/cww/vpr023 | date = July 2012 | doi-access = free }}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{wikiquote inline|Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni}}
* {{wikiquote-inline|Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni}}
* {{Official website|http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/}}
* {{Official website|http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|id=2117209|name=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni}}
* {{IMDb name|id=2117209|name=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni}}
* {{isfdb name|id=Chitra_Banerjee_Divakaruni|name=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni}}
* {{ISFDB name|id=Chitra_Banerjee_Divakaruni|name=Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni}}


{{American Book Awards}}
{{American Book Awards}}
{{American Book Awards (2020–2039)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 10:21, 5 October 2025


Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
BornChitralekha Banerjee
1956 (age 69–70)[1]
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Calcutta (BA)
Wright State University
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
GenrePoetry, short stories, novels; fantasy, young adult, magical realism, historical fiction
Notable worksArranged Marriage: Stories
Mistress of Spices
Sister of My Heart
The Palace of Illusions
One Amazing Thing
The Conch Bearer
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming
Independence
Notable awardsAmerican Book Award
PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award
SpouseMurthy
Children2
Website
www.chitradivakaruni.com

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born Chitralekha Banerjee, 1956[2]) is an Indian-born American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award in 1996. Two of her novels (The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart), as well as a short story (The Word Love) were adapted into films.

Divakaruni's works are largely set in India and the United States, and often focus on the experiences of South Asian immigrants. She writes for children as well as adults, and has published novels in multiple genres, including realistic fiction, historical fiction, magical realism, myth and fantasy.[3]

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Divakaruni was born in Calcutta, India. She received her B.A. from the University of Calcutta in 1976.[citation needed] In the same year, she went to the United States to attend Wright State University, where she received a master's degree. She received a PhD in English from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985 (Christopher Marlowe was the subject of her doctoral dissertation).[4]

Career[edit | edit source]

Divakaruni put herself through graduate school by taking on odd jobs, working as a babysitter, a store clerk, a bread slicer in a bakery, a laboratory assistant at Wright State University, and a dining hall attendant at International House, Berkeley. She was a graduate teaching assistant at U.C. Berkeley. She taught in California at Foothill College and Diablo Valley College. She now lives and teaches in Texas, where she is the McDavid Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.[5]

Divakaruni is the co-founder and former president of Maitri, a helpline founded in 1991 in San Francisco for South Asian women dealing with domestic abuse.[6] Divakaruni is on its advisory board and on the advisory board of Daya, a similar service in Houston. She has served on the board of Pratham Houston, an organisation working to bring literacy to disadvantaged Indian children[when?], and is on their emeritus board.[7]

Works[edit | edit source]

Fiction and poetry[edit | edit source]

Divakaruni began her writing career as a poet.[8] Her volumes of poetry include Black Candle and Leaving Yuba City.[9]

Her first collection of stories Arranged Marriage won an American Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Award, and a Bay Area Book Reviewers Award.[10] Her major novels include The Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart, Queen of Dreams, One Amazing Thing, Palace of Illusions, Oleander Girl and Before We Visit the Goddess. She has also written a young adult fantasy series called The Brotherhood of the Conch which is located in India and draws on the culture and folklore of that region. The first book of the series, The Conch Bearer was nominated for the 2003 Bluebonnet Award.[citation needed] The second book of the series, The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming came out in 2005 and the third and final book of the series, Shadowland, was published in 2009.

Divakaruni's novel The Palace of Illusions, was a national best-seller for over a year in India and[11] is a re-telling of the Indian epic The Mahabharata from Draupadi's perspective.[12]

Divakaruni's work has been published in The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in anthologies including the Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Prize Stories, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. Her fiction has been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Indonesian, Bengali, Turkish and Japanese.[citation needed]

Film, television, theatre and opera[edit | edit source]

Divakaruni's novel The Mistress of Spices was released as a film of the same name in 2005. It was directed by Paul Mayeda Berges, with a script by Berges and his wife, Gurinder Chadha.[citation needed] Her novel Sister of my Heart was made into a television series by Suhasini Maniratnam in Tamil and aired in India, as Anbulla Snegithiye (Loving Friend). In 2018 the producers NR Pachisia und Dipankar Jojo Chaki secured the rights to a film adaption of The Palace of Illusions.[13]

Divakaruni's story Clothes from the collection Arranged Marriage was adapted into play under the title Arranged Marriage by Peggy Shannon in 2004, 2010, and 2016.[14][15]

In 2013, Divakaruni wrote the libretto to a chamber opera for Houston Grand Opera, River of Light, about the life of an Indian woman in Houston. It premiered in 2014[16] with original compositions by Jack Perla[17] and was shown again in 2015 by the opera company Festival Opera, directed by Tanya Kane-Parry at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.[18]

The Palace of Illusions was adapted into a play named Fire and Ice: Draupadi's Story by Joe DiSabatino and performed in India under his direction. A Bollywood movie with the title Mahabharat, starring Deepika Padukone as Draupadi, is being prepared in India based on The Palace of Illusions. The premiere was scheduled for 2021.[19]

As of 2021, her novel One Amazing Thing has been optioned to become a Bollywood film.[10]

Honors and awards[edit | edit source]

Publications[edit | edit source]

Fiction[edit | edit source]

Young adult and children's[edit | edit source]

  • Neela: Victory Song (2002)
  • Grandma and the Great Gourd (2013) (children's picture book)[32]

Brotherhood of the Conch series[edit | edit source]

Poetry[edit | edit source]

  • "Dark like the River", 1987.
  • The Reason for Nasturtiums, Berkeley (Berkeley Poets Workshop) 1990. ISBN 978-0-917658-28-0
  • Black Candle. Poems About Women from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, Corvallis (Calyx Books) 1991. ISBN 978-0-934971-74-4
  • Leaving Yuba City, St. Louis (Turtleback Books) 1997. ISBN 978-1-4177-1097-3[34]

Anthologies[edit | edit source]

  • Multitude: Cross Cultural Readings for Writers (1993)
  • We Too Sing America (1997)
  • California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century (2004)

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Divakaruni lives in Houston with her husband, Murthy. She has two sons, Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children's novels).[35]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Davis, Rocío G. (2003). "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956– )". In Huang, Guiyou (ed.). Asian American Short Story Writers: An A-to-Z Guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-313-32229-7.
  3. ↑ Bredemus, James Thomas (4 April 1999). "Voices from the Gaps: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni" (PDF). conservancy.umn.edu. hdl:11299/166154. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Chitralekha Divakaruni (December 1984). For danger is in words : changing attitudes to language in the plays of Christopher Marlowe. OskiCat - UC Berkeley Library Catalog (Thesis). Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  5. ↑ "Department of English Creative Writing Program Professor Honored Among Houston's Finest Authors". University of Houston – College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences – uh.edu. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Seshachari, Neila C. (Winter 2001). "Writing As Spiritual Experience: A Conversation with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". Weber Journal Archive. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  7. ↑ Agarwal, Dr. Gunjan and Gunjan Kapil (December 2014). "The Representation of Woman in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Doors, Affair, and Meeting Mrinal" (PDF). The Criterion. 5 (6): 77.
  8. ↑ Banerjee, Kaushani (11 April 2017). "I see my writing as an extension of my activism: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". poetryfoundation.org. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 OK, Anand Raj (9 June 2021). "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: 'I never thought I'd be a writer'". Gulf News. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Book Review: Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni @ INDIA reads Online Library cum Bookstore | INDIAreads". Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  12. ↑ Bhattacharyya, Madhumita (13 March 2005). "Dreams and dislocation". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ "Entertainment News: Film adaptation of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel on Drapaudi in the works". scroll.in. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  14. ↑ Dhanji, Aabida (22 May 2016). "Canadian Premiere of Award-Winning Bollywood Play – Arranged Marriage". fusia.ca. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. ↑ Sloan, Will (12 May 2016). "Podcast: Peggy Shannon on 'Arranged Marriage'". Ryerson Today – ryerson.ca. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  16. ↑ Kulkarni, Pramod (12 December 2013). "Houston Grand Opera's "River of Light" to Feature Libretto by Chitra Divakaruni". indoamerican-news.com. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Writers, Opera, and Chitra Divakaruni's River of Light". anopenbookblog.org. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  18. ↑ Wishnia, Rebecca (16 November 2015). "River of Light Shines at Festival Opera". San Francisco Classical Voice – sfcv.org. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  19. ↑ Aishwarya (14 November 2019). "Deepika Padukone Starrer Mahabharat Based On The Novel 'The Palace Of Illusions'". filmibeat.com. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  20. ↑ "Previous Winners of the American Book Award" (PDF). beforecolumbusfoundation.com. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Patel, Nilu N. (May 2017). "Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee". Postcolonial Studies @ Emory. scholarblogs.emory.edu. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  22. ↑ Reviews of Arranged Marriage: Stories
  23. ↑ Reviews of The Unknown Errors of our Lives
  24. ↑ Reviews of The Vine of Desire
  25. ↑ Reviews of Queen of Dreams
  26. ↑ Purdon, James (27 September 2009). "The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  27. ↑ Reviews of Oleander Girl
  28. ↑ Saraswat, Surbhi. "Myth & Gender: A Critical Reading of Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni’s Before We Visit the Goddess." International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities 6.2 (2018): 748-754.
  29. ↑ Reviews of Before We Visit the Goddess
  30. ↑ Review of The Forest of Enchantments
  31. ↑ Reviews of Independence
  32. ↑ Reviews of Grandma and the Great Gourd
  33. ↑ Review of Shadowland
  34. ↑ Review of Leaving Yuba City
  35. ↑ Author's Bio on her webpage

Further reading[edit | edit source]

  • Abcarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz. "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni." In Literature: The Human Experience, 9th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006: 1544.
  • Cheung, King-Kok (2000). Words matter conversations with Asian American writers. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press in association with UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Los Angeles. ISBN 9780585469423. OCLC 52974184.
  • Softsky, Elizabeth. "Cross Cultural Understanding Spiced with the Indian Diaspora." Black Issues in Higher Education 14 (15):26. 18 September 1997.
  • X.J. Kennedy et al. The Bedford Reader, 10th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007: 446.
  • Majithia, Sheetal. "Of Foreigners and Fetishes: A Reading of Recent South Asian American Fiction." Samar 14: The South Asian American Generation (Fall/Winter 2001): 52–53. Of Foreigners and Fetishes | Samar Magazine
  • Newton, Pauline T. Transcultural Women of Later Twentieth Century US American Literature. Ashgate Publishing, 2005.
  • Merlin, Lara. "The Mistress of Spices." World Literature Today. University of Oklahoma. 1 January 1998.
  • Johnson, Sarah Anne. "Writing outside the Lines." Writer 117(3):20 Mar 2004.
  • Nelson, Emmanuel Sampath. Asian American Novelists A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 9780313309113
  • Zupančič, Metka (July 2012). "The power of storytelling: an interview with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". Contemporary Women's Writing. 6 (2): 85–101. doi:10.1093/cww/vpr023.

External links[edit | edit source]

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