Featured Image: Vikramjit Kakati, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Arundhati Roy is an Indian author, activist, and essayist who gained international fame with her debut novel, The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. She has been a prominent voice in contemporary literature and social activism.

Early Life and Education

Arundhati Roy was born on 24 November 1961 to a Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali Hindu father. When she was two, her parents divorced and she returned to Kerala with her mother and brother. For some time, the family lived with Roy’s maternal grandfather in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. When she was five, the family moved back to Kerala, where her mother started a school.She spent her childhood in Aymanam, Kerala, the setting for her acclaimed novel “The God of Small Things.” Her upbringing in a multicultural environment significantly influenced her worldview and later shaped her ability to address complex social issues. Roy pursued her education at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, where she studied architecture. However, her passion for writing and storytelling led her to a career as a screenplay writer, as well as actor, for Indian films. This early experience in the world of cinema laid the foundation for her distinctive narrative style and vivid imagery in her literary works.

The God of Small Things

Published in 1997, The God of Small Things catapulted Arundhati Roy to literary stardom. The novel, set in post-colonial India, explores complex themes such as caste discrimination, forbidden love, and the impact of historical and social forces on individual lives. Roy’s narrative style, characterized by a nonlinear structure and lyrical prose, earned her the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997.

The novel’s success marked Roy as a formidable literary talent, and it remains a landmark work in Indian literature. However, she chose to step away from fiction writing for an extended period, focusing instead on her activism.

Activism and Social Critique

Arundhati Roy is as well-known for her activism as she is for her literary accomplishments. She has been a vocal critic of globalization, corporate power, and government policies, both in India and on a global scale. Her essays and speeches, often published in major international publications, reflect a deep concern for social justice and human rights.

One of her notable works is the essay “The End of Imagination,” where she critiques India’s embrace of nuclear weapons. She argues against the nuclear tests conducted by India in 1998, expressing the dangers of nuclear proliferation and the impact on regional stability. This essay, along with others, solidified her reputation as a courageous and outspoken intellectual.