How racism and alienation fueled British Indian writer Sunjeev Sahota to scale literary heights

 

“I’ve got more interested in the form, the artistry, and wanting something new – not just in my writing, but also when I’m reading. I get very bored when I read novels that have nothing new in them. So, that’s probably what drives me about what I write next. I try to reach beyond what’s already illuminated, those darker kinds of places, through my writing.”

That’s how Sunjeev Sahota, a longlisted author for the 2021 Booker Prize, describes the process of choosing stories for his books. In less than a decade, the Indian-origin British novelist has become a name to reckon with in the literary scene with just three books to his credit.

For someone who started reading his first novel at the age of 18, and began writing one at 25, Sahota has impressed critics and book lovers with his poignant tales. His novellas are centered around the experiences of immigrants who struggle with a sense of belonging in their adopted homelands. 

His books weave in his Indian roots and resonate with a wide audience. With his second Booker Prize nomination for China Room, Sahota has yet again proved his mettle. Here’s the inspiring journey of this novelist.

The Asian in a white-dominated school

Sahota’s grandparents emigrated to the UK from Punjab in 1966 and settled in the Normanton area of Derbyshire. It was here that Sahota was born 15 years later. Being brought up in a close-knit Sikh community, Sahota felt a sense of belonging among his people and his culture. But when he was 7, his father bought a convenience store in Chesterfield, and everything changed for a young Sahota. He went from being a part of an extended kinship network to being the only Asian in his secondary school. He became an easy target for racism. Read More