British Academy Book Awards

03.11.2023

British Academy Book Awards , Daily Current Affairs , RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow 

Why in the news?

Indian-born author Nandini Das was recently named the winner of the 2023 British Academy Book Award.

Important points:

• Nandini Das's book, Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire, won the 2023 British Academy Book Award for Global Cultural Understanding.
• 2 Indian-origin authors were shortlisted for the 2023 British Academy Book Award.
  • US-based Chris Manjapara and UK-based Nandini Das were shortlisted.
  • Manjpara was nominated for 'Black Ghost of Empire: The Long Death of Slavery'.
• Apart from these two writers, 4 other writers were also nominated for this award.

About the book 'Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire':

• The book 'Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire' is the first book by Nandini Das.
• In this book the author has attempted to present a new perspective on the origins of the empire through the story of the arrival of the first English ambassador to India, Sir Thomas Roe, in the early 17th century.
• Das draws on a wide range of sources, including Indian and British eyewitness accounts, to tell the story of this complex and often horrific encounter.
• The book has been described by critics as "the true origin story of Britain and India, told through England's first diplomatic mission to the Mughal courts".

About the British Academy Book Awards:

• The British Academy Book Award was formerly known as the Nayef Al-Rodhan Award.
• It was established in 2013.
• It was established to reward and celebrate the best works of non-fiction literature that demonstrate rigor and originality and contribute to public understanding of other world cultures and their interactions.
• The British Academy is the UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.
• Eligible books come from disciplines that span archaeology, history and psychology, to philosophy, language and cultural studies.
• The British Academy Book Award winner will receive a cash prize of £25,000, and each shortlisted work will receive £1,000.

About Nandini Das:

• Nandini Das, 49, is a British-Indian author, historian and professor.
• Nandini Das is currently Professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture in the Faculty of English at the University of Oxford.
• India-born writer Nandini Das received her primary education in Kolkata.
• Before going to England, he studied at Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
• She is also co-editor of The Cambridge History of Travel Writing.

According to some estimates, Nandini Das also teach at the University of Warwick before moving to Oxford University in 2011.