Geetanjali Shree has been awarded the PEN Translates Award by English PEN for her short-story collection Once Elephants Lived Here, translated from Hindi into English by Daisy Rockwell. The announcement was made on July 24, 2025.

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📚 What is the PEN Translates Award?

This award is administered by English PEN, a London-based human rights organization. The PEN Translates award, especially in collaboration with the SALT project at the University of Chicago, supports outstanding literary translations from around the world into English, focusing on enhancing bibliodiversity in the UK publishing landscape.

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🔍 Why this matters

• This recognition comes after Shree’s earlier major achievement in 2022, when her novel Ret Samadhi, translated as Tomb of Sand, became the first Hindi-language book to win the International Booker Prize.
• Once Elephants Lived Here delves into themes of memory, loss, displacement, and the individual impact of broader social change, showcasing Shree's distinctive literary voice.

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📝 About Geetanjali Shree & Daisy Rockwell

• Geetanjali Shree (born June 12, 1957, in Uttar Pradesh) is a Hindi-language novelist and short-story writer based in Delhi, widely celebrated for her experimental and richly textured style.
• Daisy Rockwell, the translator, is an American writer and translator renowned for translating major Hindi and Urdu works, and she received multiple accolades including the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation for Tomb of Sand.

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📌 Summary Table

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✨ Why this is significant

• It underscores Shree's growing global literary presence, following her Booker win.
• It continues to elevate translated Indian literature, enriching English-language readership with diverse perspectives and styles.
• The award supports a short-story collection, highlighting that translation recognition now spans genres beyond novels.